Grief and Loss Counseling in Missouri Valley, IA.

While there are hallmarks for grief, we all handle loss a little differently. In fact, we may process different losses in different ways, even within ourselves. I may grieve differently for the loss of my life partner than I do the loss of a child or parent. And grief is not restricted to death. I work with clients who are grieving the loss of career, a divorce/ breakup, or a dream.

Ideally, many people can process Grief or Loss without much professional assistance, if they have an adequate support system in their lives. Often, however, they encounter other challenges in their lives that complicate or delay this normal process, such as Substance Abuse, Guilt or Shame, Anxiety, or Anger Issues. Often client's may think things like: "I should have been a better ____" or "I can't survive without him/her" or "I can't forgive him/her for treating me that way." I generally enable client's to naturally process Grief or Loss by helping them to remove these frequent barriers to healing.

Grief needs time, and our society often does not allow us that time. Grief and loss therapy allows you the space and time to really understand what it is that you have been through and how you have been affected by it. Once this is done, (it takes time) it is possible to reclaim greater amounts of freedom that our grief had stolen from us. Don't let anyone tell you that you need to stop thinking about what happened and move on. It is only through thinking about what happened in a constructive way that we can actually have the power to move on.