Navigating Grief and Loss

Counseling for Individuals and Groups to Help You Navigate Through Grief & Loss.

If You’ve Experienced:

The death of a loved one.
A divorce, or painful breakup.
An unexpected tragedy.
A recent diagnosis and/or loss of your health.
A miscarriage.
The loss of a beloved pet.
A life transition that’s been challenging to cope with.

Childhood trauma or painful experiences you’ve never addressed.
A setback, failure, or broken dream.
Rejection, loneliness and feeling like you don’t belong.
A recent move or relocation.
Trauma of a loved one that’s impacting you.
Being a caregiver for a loved one who is ill.
A family secret you’ve never talked about.

All of these are painful losses that you may not realize you need to grieve. Counseling will help.

The fog of grief blocks the pathway forward.

Life can feel cruel and unfair at times if you’ve lost a loved one and are grieving.

You may find it is hard to eat, sleep, or even focus. Grief makes you feel heavy and tired. When you wake up, it hits you again.

Grief comes in waves. Some days you’ll feel like you’re coping. Other days, it feels like you’ll never survive the pain.

Everyone grieves differently.

You deserve to be gentle with yourself and not judge yourself for not being further along.

We often don’t know how to deal with grief in our society. It hurts when well-meaning people say completely insensitive things in their efforts to “help.“ They feel uncomfortable with your suffering and don’t know what to say.

Photo by Draeyk Horn

But you don’t need the stress of having to soothe their discomfort.

Do you find yourself putting on a brave smile so you don’t have to answer the dreaded question, “How are you doing?”

If you find yourself wanting to scream at that question, don’t worry, that’s a healthy response! When you’re grieving, your only job is to breathe and keep going. Your sadness is in proportion to how much you loved another. You can’t stop yourself from feeling that. If you do, it just takes longer to heal.

Maybe you don’t want to heal or “get better” because then it feels like you’ll lose your connection to the person you’re grieving.

That’s completely understandable, and only you get to decide how to move forward. I love the wise words of Frances Weller, “Grief is Love that has nowhere to go.” If you love, you grieve.

Call me now to schedule your free 15-minute consultation, so I can learn more about how I can help. Then once you feel comfortable, we’ll get started: Call (813) 336-2173 or click here to schedule an appointment.

Grief is a natural part of life.

We grieve the people we love.

We grieve for the places inside of us that haven’t known love.

We grieve old beliefs and ways of doing things that are not serving us well.

We grieve for the pain and trauma in the world.

We grieve for what we hoped for and didn’t receive.

We grieve the pain of our ancestors that our body’s wisdom and memory carry.

Sometimes, things need to fall apart before new life can emerge.

Grief is confining. You feel like you’re stuck in the dark, unable to get out, and your heart is broken.

But nature offers us a model for navigating through grief.

A chick waits in the darkness of the egg until the time is right for the shell to crack so it can join the world. The caterpillar is wrapped in its cocoon and surrenders to the darkness as it allows itself to dissolve. But then the time comes when it gets its wings and can fly into the light. Beauty, hope, and new life always reemerge.

We’ll work together to help you get relief from the loneliness and pain you’ve been feeling and find a pathway forward.

In our sessions together, we’ll go at a pace that feels safe and manageable for you. I’ll help you;

Learn a combination of deep breathing exercises, meditation, and visualization to soothe yourself and find comfort.
Use somatic awareness and Gestalt techniques to help you process your pain.
Learn and apply IFS (Internal Family Systems) techniques to help you connect with the part of you that can access your inner wisdom and guide you forward when you’re ready.

Please visit My Approaches to learn more.

When you’re grieving, reaching out and trying something new can feel overwhelming.

I am here to walk with you in the gentlest, kindest way possible. You are not alone.