Beyond "I'm sorry for your loss"
Counselling for the Bereaved
Grief. What a crappy part of life. It visits us all. And yet, the hallmark of these times is often an incredible loneliness. Reaching out to a counsellor to walk beside you as you grieve is a powerful act of honouring who you have lost as well as yourself and your journey through its trenches.
Grief doesn't always show up in the same get-up. It looks different for everyone and you may be surprised at the fancy-dress way it is showing up in your life. It could hit you with inexplicable anxiety, irritation or even a desire to go completely rogue. There is also no clear, linear pathway through it - the stages we are supposed to move through do not always show up in the neat order that we presume. Just because you suddenly find yourself in the "acceptance phase" today doesn't mean you won't be drowning 'back' in the "denial phase" tomorrow.
Your grief may never go away. You may never stop missing that person and you might beat yourself up about this. But, by consciously processing your grief and what it means for your life, you may get to a stage where things feel a bit brighter and a little bit easier.
What can I expect?
Grief counselling offers a sacred space for you to explore your grief without the limits of time or expectations about your progress. While the rest of the world moves on, and the sun keeps rising and setting, you are left to process all that you have been through and all that you have lost. In our sessions, you will have the floor to say all the things you may not have been able to give voice to in your day-to-day life: the angry, the hateful, the regret, even, possibly, the relief. There are no 'right' or 'wrong' things to say in the safety of our sessions, and by allowing this truth and vulnerability in, we can take steps towards true healing, and eventually, thriving.