Grief & Bereavement Counseling
Moving through the experience of loss requires courage and support.
How does therapy help?
Navigating the uncertainty of grief & loss.
Often the experience of grief disorients and overwhelms. Whether the loss was sudden or expected, it changes the orientation of our lives and can be difficult to navigate. Therapy offers a space to be with the full complexity of the experience. It’s a space for honoring memories, feeling the feelings, and moving towards more moments of peace and acceptance. This work also opens the door to hope and an unfolding of a new normal.
While grief is a natural human experience, there are some aspects of loss that aren’t always as openly acknowledged. There are losses that go unseen, that loom and create anticipatory anxiety and heartache, or that become complex and cause prolonged suffering. These other experiences of grief can feel particularly isolating especially when there is a perceived pressure to ‘move on’. Having a space to be with these other elements can help us makes sense of the impact of these experiences and move towards greater self compassion and understanding.
Anticipatory Grief
Grief is not just an “after” experience. It can emerge in anticipation of something possible or inevitable. Often this experience is not composed of sadness alone, but can include anxiety, dread, uncertainty, and anguish.
Hidden Grief
Not all experiences of grief are seen. The loss of an early pregnancy, of mobility or health, or the reemergence of grief that may come at special life transitions.. These unseen experiences are often longing for acknowledgement and understanding.
Traumatic Loss & Grief
The experience of bereavement can become prolonged and complex with sudden or traumatic loss or when supportive factors are missing. Therapeutic care can support the natural grieving process.
Grief as a Companion
Facing Death
Fearing Death,
More than sadness:
How we make meaning? Continuing bonds, reorganizaiton not closure, process of oscilaaiotn
What does that look like in session? In counseling sessions, I will often invite clients to become curious about their inner experience and ask questions to explore sensations, breathing patterns, imagery, and even body posture. The act of drawing attention to the somatic elements of an experience helps to build mind-body awareness, supports nervous system regulation, helps our brains organize and appropriately store difficult memories, and creates opportunities to access unresolved parts of the experience itself. I may also offer different techniques or resources to use in session and out in the world.
Modalities:
Books and other Resources
Resources come in all packages, check out groups, online forums, books, podcasts, and guides.
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Crying in H Mart: Memoir, Michelle Zauner
When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Hard Times, Pema Chodron
Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief, Joanne Cacciatore, Ph. D.
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The Grieving Brain, Mary-Francis O’Conner
Life after Loss, Bob Deits
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Christi Center (Austin Grief Groups)
The Dinner Party (Young Adult Community)
What’s Your Grief (Online Hub)