Grief Counseling

“Just as despair can come to one only from other human beings, hope, too, can be given to one only by other human beings.” – Elie Weisel

The Experience of Loss

The loss of a loved one and the resulting grief response of sadness and emptiness is something that everyone will experience at some time in their lives. If we dare to live our life fully, there is no way to avoid loss. Even if we do not live our lives fully, there will be losses. It can be the loss of a person, a pet, a relationship, a job, a possession, or a romantic relationship. The experience of loss is difficult to go through. Some people try to avoid it, deny it, repress it, and split it off from the rest of their lives. They pay a high price for that. The grieving process has its biological, psychological, and spiritual function and meaning. It helps us withdraw and detach our energy from the lost object, person, or event. It helps us end that attachment and accept our own human fragility, vulnerability, and the tough parts of our lives.

Getting Stuck in Grief

Unresolved grief is often a major unrecognized factor in a wide range of other difficulties that bring people to seek therapy, including the resulting lack of motivation, depression, and overwhelming sadness.

We can help you through Grief Counseling deal with your losses in a much more positive and useful way. Wouldn’t it be helpful, when thinking about your loss, if you could feel the presence of your loved one and your deep, loving connection? After working through your denial, bargaining and anger, to land softly in a place of acceptance?

Why Grief Counseling?

·       1 in 3 of college undergraduates are in the first year of grieving the death of a family member or friend, and nearly half are within 24 months.

·       Sometimes the grieving person can recall the loving relationship, but in a way that is distant, separate, absent, or unreal, resulting in a feeling of emptiness, rather than the fullness that the person experienced in the loving relationship.

·       Some only recall the ending of the relationship, rather than the loving connection itself. For instance, they might constantly replay the last heated argument that led to the breakup, times in which they were unkind, the horrible terminal illness, or the moment they first heard about the loss.

·       Grief Counseling can prepare you for a future loss. This is particularly useful for the friends and relatives of people with a terminal illness. Often the friends of a dying person are so upset over the impending loss that they can’t make good use of the little time that they have left with the dying person. And sometimes the dying person finds himself emotionally taking care of the healthy people around him!

·       Grief Counseling is also very useful for relationships that are overly dependent. It can release an ongoing relationship from the clinging behavior that is often based on the fear of future loss.

·       Grief Counseling is also particularly appropriate for “ambiguous loss” in which someone has disappeared and is presumed dead but could still be alive.

Schedule an Appointment Today
If you are interested in Grief Counseling call me today at 949-391-3505 to schedule an appointment. I am always happy to work with new patients and help you and your loved ones find compassion and understanding. I look forward to hearing from you!