Grief and Loss Counseling
Loss happens to everyone.
It comes in all forms and at all stages in life. The loss of a parent or parent figure can be significantly complex. Grief can show up in many different ways and is not limited to feelings of sadness. It can also involve feelings of guilt, longing, anger, fear, and regret. Emotions are often surprising in their strength or absence. Emotions can be confusing. Maybe you are grieving your parent who was also your best friend. Or maybe you’ve had a strained relationship with your parent and now don’t know how to feel.
Some people are impacted by a sudden loss while others are engaged in a longer process connected to illness like cancer, dementia, or Alzheimer’s. The process of adapting to a parental loss can vary dramatically from one person to another, and demands careful consideration of particular family dynamics, beliefs, personalities and support systems.
If you are dealing with the illness or loss of a parent, therapy can help.
In working together, we can untangle confusing and overwhelming feelings, get in touch with seemingly lost feelings, and find supportive resources and strategies to deal with the complexity of loss. No matter what is happening to you now, you can survive it, even if in this moment it is unclear how.
Grief is tricky, overwhelming, and can often feel isolating. Grief is not something that can be stopped by will and avoidance. Rather, in getting to know our grief we learn how to care for ourselves within it. Together we can come to understand how the feelings manifest and the stories they create. We will find recourses and self-care to help in the toughest times.
Grief symptoms often include:
- Difficulty eating or sleeping
- Mood swings
- Uncontrollable emotional outbursts
- Feeling numb or detached
- Self-Isolating
- Increased anxiety or panic attacks
- Depression
- Uncharacteristic behaviors or habits