Grief and Loss Counselling in Oak Ridges, ON.

Often the loss of a loved one, pet, item, or aspect of a person can lead to intense feelings of grief. At times when the loss is surrounded by traumatic events this grief becomes complicated. Clients will often find that reprocessing these traumatic moments that led to the loss will help them be able to cope with any feelings that come up. They may find that their memories are no longer haunted by feelings of anxiety, extreme sadness, or loss of hope.

Have you experienced a recent loss? You may feel lost and unable to cope thinking only about the loss of your loved one. Life is difficult for you leaving you empty and unable to fill this void. You may resort to unhealthy mechanisms to cope with your loss. In our sessions, we will explore how this has affected all aspects of your life and find strategies to cope with your day-to-day life. We will use multiple strategies to deal with your grief and loss.

Grief and loss can feel like an emotional rollercoaster. Understanding your grief and how it impacts your daily life is a crucial step towards overcoming it. Sharing your perspective and experience in a safe space can help you process your loss. Whether you attend treatment in an individual or group setting, your experience grieving is unique to you.

Some of the losses you may face are loss of health, a job, a pet, a friendship, a marriage or a loved one. You will experience many feelings in relationship to a loss; denial, shock, anger, blame, guilt, depression, sadness, anxiety, despair, fear and hopelessness. I can help you re-build your life and create new dreams. I can assist you to move beyond the loss and regain control over your life so that you can celebrate life once again. My approach is to help you express and understand your grief, normalize you feelings and identify where you may feel stuck. I will assist you to move forward in life so that you can feel hopeful and discover new purpose and meaning.

Grief and loss are significant life experiences that can be difficult to manage. I have heard from many that sometimes it seems like the extreme sadness will not leave them. I work with such clients to try and make space in their life to experience positive emotions along with the sadness. Grief is very individual and some clients desire help to "move past the grief", while others do not agree with this. I work to meet clients where they are, to optimize their day to day life experiences according to their own individual hopes. In addition, I help clients to find meaning in their experience of grief and loss, honour the life of their lost loved one, and manage the related difficult emotions.

Grief is the emotional suffering we feel when we lose something or someone important to us. This can include the loss of friend, partner, or family member, a change in life circumstances, death of a pet, getting fired, loss of health, safety, a dream... anything that we once had and now do not. The intensity and process can be unique for each person, but like all other emotions that impact the quality of our life, ignoring it or suppressing it does not work. Seeking support as we move through the various stages of grief is very helpful. Planning for our healing is crucial so that we do not become 'stuck' in the pain. A skilled therapist can assist us during this vulnerable time.

Loss leaves a horrible feeling with a person. We feel left behind and unsure of where to go next. We ought to process these emotions in addition to imagining what moving forward could look like. It is my job to help facilitate this process and be a part of this journey venturing forward which may sometimes involve looking back. However, it is my ultimate belief that we can and will move on and move forward.

Grief can feel like carrying around a heavy suitcase that clouds every aspect of your life. Though we often think about grief as stemming from the death of a loved one, grief can come from all forms of losses. Changing jobs, ending a relationship, being diagnosed with an illness, losing a pet, or even moving to a new place can cause grief. You might experience shock, anger, confusion, sadness, despair, frustration, guilt, shame, and life might feel meaningless. I work support you in unpacking the complex feelings behind grief, so that you don't have to be alone. Together, we can work to honour what you have lost, while building a path forward.

I open up space for clients accept and share their grief, since many people don't feel comfortable doing so, especially with others. I help clients to work toward resolving unresolved grief and express their unexpressed grief. I help clients to honour & give space to their grief. In today's rushed world, people often don't take adequate time to honour their grief & sense of loss. I help clients to try and honour what their lost loved one would have wanted for them, or, sometimes to take back their life back from a lost loved one who didn't value or validate them. I work to prepare clients for grief to be lifelong, though that doesn't mean that it will always have the same intensity.

Grief and loss are a part of life that is not part of our society so the first step is to normalize each person's individual reaction. Counselling provides a place to listen to your emotions, and explore your thoughts about loss and death from your own experience and worldview. Relationships have changed and we discover new ways of relating and celebrating people who have left through death, divorce, and other losses. Grief and loss are tiring so come to counselling where the burden can be shared and lessened as we talk, listen, and explore coping strategies just for you and your family.

Grief and loss are normal, universal emotional experiences, but there is a tendency to get stuck in depression or anxiety rather than feel the sadness involved with loss. That’s understandable, because suffering is painful and difficult to bear alone. A therapist can support an individual with strategies for finding hope that a broken heart will mend. The aim is to build trust that, by allowing the expression of these feelings, the energy spent on suffering can be freed and reinvested back into creating a fulfilling life. As you do with a broken shoulder, you pay attention to the pain and attend to it in healthy ways while nature takes its course, allowing broken bones or hearts to heal.

Have you found yourself in deep sadness from a recent loss or that may be many years old and perhaps you are only recently recognizing? People were designed to reach out to someone when they are grieving and have had a loss. Unfortunately in our modern world, we are expected to be brief about our losses, to shrug them off and move on. You don't have to suffer alone. I will support you to more fully allow yourself to experience this loss and sadness in safety so that you can truly process the pain. Please contact me for help.

Losing someone dear to us can bring a wave of mixed emotions where it can feel hard to know where to begin. With patience, care, and openness, I hope to offer you the space to process all of the thoughts and feelings you are experiencing. We will then work together to find a way towards calmness and peace when facing the changes in your life, at a pace that is comfortable for you.

Individuals often come to see me for therapy in my practice in the downtown area of Toronto in order to help them cope with grief, bereavement, and difficulty adjusting to painful loss. For some clients this includes the loss of a close family member, for others this includes the loss of an intimate relationship. In either case, the opportunity to discuss such losses and to understand their impact is an important part of the psychotherapy process.

Grief/loss is something we inevitably all face, and can be a challenging journey. It can often come in waves which can be incredibly difficult to navigate alone. It is normal to feel anger, resentment and isolation along with the sadness. I am passionate about supporting you through this process, while providing you with tools to better manage the pain.

Grief is a complicated experience that leaves many feeling alone even in a room full of people. I work through the various stages of grief with you to process your emotions. Grief is like a heavy backpack you can't put down. I will support you in managing the overwhelm and exhaustion you feel as you return to daily tasks. Let's connect to get you back to feeling like yourself.

If you are dealing with grief and loss, I am here to support you. Whether you are struggling with overwhelming feelings or you do not know what to feel, the therapeutic space I am offering is one of validation, compassion, and curiosity. We will work together to process your experience in a way that is meaningful to you, changing our approach as your grief changes. Processing grief is rarely easy, but I will be with you every step of the way to witness and support your experience.

We live in a world where news travels much more quickly and widely than ever before, which suggests that if we don’t have these tough conversations, our children may learn elsewhere. Scary topics, such as tragedies, natural disasters, or discrimination, can happen to all of us. We work from a strength-based and trauma informed perspectives. We offer evidence-based assessment and treatment to children and adolescents for a variety of challenges, including grief and loss.

Life can be difficult. Working through grief and loss can also be very challenging. It is very commom to get “stuck” in this very painful process. Grief and loss can take on many forms whether it be through death, separation, divorce or other forms of loss. My approach is direct and “hands on”. Through a variety of exercises, reflections and strategies, I help the client through his/her own cycle of grief and loss. This process allows the client to explore “deep rooted” feelings. Through Cognitive Behavior Therapy exercises, the client regains some confidence and skill in being able to cope with their day to day life situations and ongoing life challenges.

Losing someone close to us can be among the most painful of life experiences. An example of one of my approaches to working with grieving clients involves learning how to live with the pain and loss along with finding ways to honor the life and memory of the bereaved. However, grief is a largely personal process, with many different types of loss that each require their own unique approach and attentiveness depending on what feels best for clients during this most vulnerable time. Contact me to book a free consultation.

Working with grief is one of the highest honours as a therapist. I personally find it to be the most delicate subject for most people. I think this is why it's so important to work with someone who deeply empathizes with the depth of the emotional pain and difficultly in coming to terms with the life altering change and loss. No, life will never be the same without your person, so we will learn how to continue living while honouring your lost loved one.

Grief can occur in many shapes and forms. Perhaps you have just experienced the loss of a loved one, the ending of an important relationship, or a change in the life you had once envisioned for yourself. You may be experiencing sadness, anger, confusion, happiness, or it may be too early to know exactly just how you feel. Identifying and processing these emotions can be a helpful first step in navigating this loss and beginning your healing journey. Connect with me today for a free consultation today to see if we are a good fit.

Grief counseling helps people cope with grief and mourning following the loss of a loved one or due to major life changes that trigger feelings of grief (i.e. job loss or divorce). It provides a space for individuals to work through and process the complex emotions surrounding loss. Healthy grieving results in remembering the loss with a newfound sense of peace, rather than searing pain.

I define grieving as: "Your body is healing an emotional break and/or bruise". A loss of any type will create emotional bruising or an emotional break - such as the loss of a loved one. Grieving is a normal emotional healing process. Our emotions will heal, just as a broken leg will heal. However, we are to nurse the bruise/break properly, otherwise the emotional body can not heal itself. I will help you develop a healthy emotional wound care system. I provide a safe place for you to vent your feelings. Venting feelings or I like to call it "washing your emotional wound" is the first step. Then I teach the emotional nursing steps which will guide and support the healing process.

After loosing someone close to you it is often hard to find emotional balance. Therapy can provide you with a safe space to process your loss and the difficult emotions that often follow. Feeling sad, lonely, angry, and confused are all normal and healthy emotions to experience during this time. Working with a therapist can help you through these tough emotions as well as how to feel normal and happy again.