Grief & Loss

Unfortunately, everyone will experience the loss of a friend or loved one at some point in his or her life. You will grieve the death of someone you care about, the end of a relationship, a move to a new area, the loss of a pet, or a serious illness. Individual reactions to profound loss are different from person to person. There is no right way to grieve and there’s no timeline for how long it should take you to feel better. The grieving process often occurs in stages, each of which brings it with different emotions. Seeking the help of a counselor can make the progress of stages easier on the individual as they process their emotions.

When grieving, you may feel emotions such as:

• Shock, which prevents you from the impact of the loss
• Anger
• Sadness or an overwhelming sense of loss
• Guilt
• Depression, isolation, or loneliness
• Fear
• Denial of your feelings
• Anxiety or an overwhelming sense of loss
• Relief, because your loved one is no longer suffering
• Longing, or wanting everything to return to the way it was before the loss

A counselor can help you navigate through the grieving process as you give yourself time and space to heal. If grief is not processed with help, it can lead to depression, emotional outbursts, and fuel anger. The main goal of grief counseling is to integrate the reality of your loss into your life going forward and helping you maintain a healthy bond to the loved one you have lost. There is no timeline for this kind of counseling because you have freedom in processing what has happened and how you want to move forward.