Grief and Loss Counselling in Lumsden, SK.

After a significant loss or trauma, many people experience intense, sometimes incapacitating sadness and grief. Grief is usually a natural healing process; however, it can be experienced as immensely overwhelming when we have lost someone close to us or when our grief is complicated. My approach to supporting someone in the process of grieving is to help them learn strategies to be able to tolerate the wave of emotions that are inherent in grieving.

Cristina uses a mindfulness approach to help you cope with losing a loved one, or to cope with loss of independence, or living with a chronic illness. Cristina will help you understand ambiguous loss. She will provide emotional support and will help you recreate a new lifestyle based on discovering the magnificence of the present moment. There are no problems in the present. If you pay attention, you realize that the problems are in the past or in the future, not in the present. You will learn how to make sense of your loss, how to move on, while still coping with the pain of your loss. You will find the necessary strength to rebuild your new life.

I have more than 30 years experience in pastoral and private settings, working with grief and loss due to death, separation, divorce, neglect, dysfunctional relationships, financial misfortune. Is nobody listening anymore? Or has everybody moved on and you are still stuck in the past? I will be able to share in your experience and help you move through the different seasons of grief and loss. I will also work with you if you are stuck in any season and struggle with pain and acceptance loss.

Grieving allows us to move past traumatic grief and loss. Inability to grieve (repression) can bring on emotional numbness and may transform into physical pain, psychosomatic illness or depression that is poorly understood. The loss of our closest relationships, as experienced in death, sex addiction, or abuse can be the hardest to go through. Abandonment, unfaithfulness or abuse may need to be mourned as a traumatic change in relationship. We will work together to enable you to confront your deepest pain & share the grief so that you can start to heal and prepare for a brighter future.

My goal is to provide my clients with strategies that they can use to conceptualize and negotiate their grief, thereby promoting healing. Failure to accept that what has happened has truly happened can block integration of loss. When this happens the result is prolonged, complicated grief. This can be resolved with the use of mindfulness that promotes acceptance of loss.

I allow you the time and space to explore and express all the feelings and thoughts you are having with regard to your loss. I anchor your experience to the grief cycle and I create hope that you will come through your grief. It’s important to me to honour your journey by way of complete acceptance of your mourning and your unique path through. Using talk therapy, journalling, narrative therapy and art therapy can be effective ways to express the array of thoughts and feelings you are having. As well, designing meaningful rituals aimed at commemorating your loss can help you feel better. By honoring your loss, in your own way, in your own time, will be key in moving through loss.

I know from experience how hard it is walking to and through something that is painful in our lives. It's tough because our natural response is to turn away from those things that hurt. However, if we don't walk to and through, grief has this incessant way of hanging its' hat wherever we are. We can run but we can't hide. I also know from experience the release one feels when we face those losses in our lives. I'd be lying if I said this was easy because it's not. But please know, it is so worthwhile. Loss changes us but it doesn't have to define us. I would be privileged to walk with you as we gently and compassionately work through your life losses because you are worth it.

Grief and loss therapy provides invaluable support for individuals navigating the challenging journey of bereavement. By offering a safe and compassionate space, therapy facilitates the exploration and expression of complex emotions. Through therapeutic interventions, clients gain insights into their grief process, develop coping skills, and find meaning amidst loss. Ultimately, grief therapy empowers individuals to navigate their grief journey with courage, compassion, and a renewed sense of hope for the future.

While grief and transition are a natural part of life, we are still often overwhelmed by sadness, anger and all the confusing emotions that come with loss. There is no right or wrong way to grieve—just your body and mind doing what it can to process the pain of major life change and the loss of how things were. Working with me means compassionate care that helps you to approach and feel your feelings in a safe way, taking things one step at a time. I promise you that all grief can be transformed into a gentle honouring of who or what was lost. I would be happy to team up with you in your journey towards peace and acceptance.

Grief and loss may involve a wide range of painful emotions and reactions that are natural following loss. Loss can affect all parts of our being and is a personal journey of pain and learning to live wholeheartedly. Grief counseling provides a supportive environment for sharing personal loss experiences and to work through the healing process toward wellness. Support and guidance is provided to acknowledge and understand the unique and personal impact of loss, recognize personal strengths and to develop healthy coping and resources for healing.

Grief and loss are experiences that often defy description. They can be intensely personal and emotional, leaving us feeling overwhelmed and struggling to find the right words to express our feelings. However, you don't have to face this journey alone. Together, we can navigate through this challenging time, supporting you in finding ways to honor your emotions and discover healing. Through therapy, we will work together to explore and understand your grief, providing a safe and compassionate space for you to express yourself and find the strength to move forward.

Are you feeling overwhelmed by loss, struggling to cope with the pain, and finding it hard to move forward? Grief can be isolating and exhausting, leaving you feeling stuck in sadness and longing for peace. As a clinical counsellor, I understand how difficult this journey can be. But I also know that healing is possible. Imagine having someone by your side who truly understands what you're going through, who offers compassionate support and effective strategies to help you heal. Together, we can navigate this difficult time and find a way to honour your loss, rebuild your strength, and rediscover hope. Let's start this journey together. Book a free 15-minute phone consultation today.

Grief and loss can be overwhelming and counselling can help you work through the process and help you cope. Losing someone through death or them leaving impacts every part of your life. Counselling will enable you to let go, deal with unresolved issues that may be present with your relationship to your loved one and move forward with your life while embracing the life of the person you have lost.

We all face loss in life, whether the death of a loved one or the crushing of dreams, or the many other ways in which we face loss. We are often told to "get over it". But grief and loss are seldom things we just 'Get Over'. We reintegrate, experience and move forward but we don't 'get over'. If you want someone who will be with you in your time of loss, who doesn't expect you to be something you are not. Who will offer support, encouragement and 'being with', contact me.

Everyone deals with grief and loss at some point in their lives and having someone to process the loss with can give relief from the emotions related to the loss. The feelings of grief and loss can be associated not only with bereavement, the loss of a relationship but it can also be part of the process of healing from violence and abuse. Strategies to manage feelings and process loss can be used to move you through the process of integrating this experience.