Grief and Loss Counseling in Bessemer City, NC.

When we are going through grief, we need someone to be present with us in our pain. We need someone who will sit with us in our experience and help us name what is happening, because it doesn't always make sense. The swirl of thoughts and emotions and how it is affecting us needs to be heard and allowed to be present. We don't always get that from family or friends, or we have responsibilities with them that makes it complicated. Here, you can just be you, with all the mess and heartache, and you will have unlimited tissues, coping skills, support, guidance, and discover meaning through the process.

Prolonged or complicated grief can impact anyone and counseling can help with accepting what happened, processing the grief, adjusting to your new reality, and how to connect with the deceased. Counseling is especially important when dealing with disenfranchised grief. If your loss is not or can not be recognized for any reason you lose the benefits of your support network. Counseling can be a safe space for you to express all your thoughts and feelings without judgment while you heal from your loss.

Working through grief and loss can be confusing and feel isolating. With my approach, I can walk alongside you through the different stages of grief, help you identify the unique ways you are currently grieving now and will need to grieve in the future, and bring you back to a place of resolution regarding your loss. I'm available for free 20-minute phone consultations or by email to further discuss your needs, answer any questions you might have, and outline what the therapy process can look like for you.

The Experiential model of working through the Bereavement process to Grief provides a safe and structured environment for the client to teach the therapist about their personal experience. Experiential techniques allow for the emotional healing and self- compassion desired when working through grief. The mindfulness component of the experiential approach places focus on the present externalizing of emotions, thoughts, and behaviors to help the client experience the process holistically with the outcome of acceptance, self- kindness, and restructuring of new routines, new future, and new sense of self.

While I work with more traditional grief and loss, many of my clients have grief over what they didn't get during childhood. We explore the feelings around not knowing you were autistic or ADHD, and all of the lost time and relationships that have come from that. Grief isn't only about death- we also grieve the parenting we needed but didn't get, past relationships, past friendships, and more. We will work together to find ways to recognize and honor those losses, in a way that is meaningful for you and helps you get the closure you need. And grief is never a comparison to someone else- all loss is painful, and together we can help you find peace.