Grief and Loss Counselling in LaSalle, ON.

Coping with grief is an inevitable and challenging aspect of life. At Atlas Therapy, our commitment is to assist you in navigating this journey, offering support and empathy as you confront various types of loss. We strive to aid clients in comprehending the grieving process, devising personalized coping strategies, addressing feelings of guilt or anger, fostering social connections, building resilience, and engaging in cognitive restructuring. The skilled therapists at Atlas recognize that grief elicits a spectrum of intense emotions, and we provide a secure, non-judgmental space for you to express and process these feelings. Take the first step towards healing by reaching out today.

Grief, loss, and bereavement, whether it is the passing of a loved one, the end of a career, or the falling-apart of a relationship are all similar: we are losing or have lost an important part of our lives. Understanding the emotions, feelings, and behaviours we have when we experience grief and bereavement is part of helping us accept what has occurred, why we feel the way that we are feeling, and what is next for us. In working with clients on grief, loss, and bereavement it is important to understand that the way we process these experiences is unique to each person, and the pillar of respect is paramount.

In my practice you will find a safe place to talk about and work through pain, and the feelings of sadness, confusion, guilt, shame and anger that often accompany the experience of grief and loss. Moving through grief and loss is your personal journey that takes time and is experienced uniquely from your own perspective. I provide therapy, counselling and and support for people who have lost a loved one such as a family member, friend or colleague whether through death or the ending of a relationship, those who have lost an important pet or animal companion or people who have experienced a loss that includes a loss of a job or personal identity.

Are you using alcohol, substances, or addictive behaviors to cope with grief and loss? Although they provide relief in the short term, their long-term effects on your relationships and health can make it even more difficult to cope. Through a compassionate non-judgmental approach, I help clients explore their relationship to grief and loss so that they can overcome addictive coping strategies. If you're looking for another way forward, feel free to reach out and we can set up a free consultation to discuss further.

Grief and loss is an unfortunate part of being human. It is inevitable that we will, at some point, lose people we love and have to process and grief the loss. Loss is a broad term that typically refers to losing someone through death. However, other losses include loss of a relationship (break-ups or conflicts), as well as a person's treasured identity (i.e. work-identity, or being a parent when their children have moved out). Loss can be understood as a painful reaction to change - to losing someone or some parts of ourselves. People grieve in different ways, there is no "right" path which can be frustrating. Let me help guide you through your grieving process.

Any loss can cause a person to feel grief; whether it is the loss of a job, a relationship, the death of a loved one, or the loss of a cherished dream etc. I find that my clients find it helpful to use Narrative techniques, such as writing personnel journals. However, the use of Somatic Experiencing which is a form of therapy aimed at relieving and resolving the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental and physical trauma-related health problems. Regardless, a person needs to re-connect and make sense to painful emotions and past events in order to effectively deal with a loss or a post traumatic event, such as a motor vehicle accident, rape, sexual attack, childhood trau....

When we lose someone we love, our relationship with them doesn’t need to end. Your loved one is still very much a part of life. Grief counselling can give you a safe place to talk about your loved one, any regrets you are holding on to and resolve any guilt you may be feeling. Grief counseling can help you with “stuck points” and help you oscillate between sorrow and function.

Processing loss is painful, confusing and often isolating. This is not something that is as simple as progressing through "stages" in order and typically involves emotions that we have been taught to avoid or suppress. Working with a therapist to unpack and go through grief and loss can offer some space and perspective that is not there when we talk with friends and family. Here you can have a non-judgmental space to take the time to work this out in the way that you need. This is not always easy, but we can navigate this together.

At some point in life, everyone will experience grief and loss. Grief is a normal response to a final disconnection from something or someone important to us. While grief is a common human experience, we will all experience loss in very different ways. It may occur following the loss of a pet, job, relationship, or loved one. Together, we will explore your grief to develop an understanding of what your loss means to you, and how it has impacted you. Together, we will explore how you can effectively experience and express your grief in a way that makes sense for you - there are no rules or timelines when it comes to grief.

Most people will go through a period of loss in their lives. A response to any kind of loss is grief. Grieving over the loss of a loved one is known as bereavement. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. Some people are highly emotional and delve deeply into their emotions, while others are resistant and could look for ways to divert their attention from an unchangeable aspect of life. Each person has unique needs when coping with loss. Grief and loss counselling can help you to manage your emotions and help you heal.

Unfortunately we all will encounter grief and loss at times during our lives. There is no set time frame for working through the waves of emotions. However, sometimes we may feel stuck in our grieving process and it is comforting to find support along this journey. I use various techniques dependent on a collaborative treatment design. Therapeutic modalities include Narrative Therapy, Expressive Art Therapy and EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing).