Are You Struggling with A Loss?
Just because loss is a normal part of life doesn’t mean that it’s easy. We grieve the loss of loved ones, beloved pets, relationships, and even traditions.
Losses in our lives can trigger normal grief reactions including sadness, withdrawal, thoughts of the loss, worry about the future, longing for the past and more. Grief reactions can even include anger and loss of pleasure in daily activities. These reactions can impact how we function in our lives. They can cause problems with family life, work, school, and friendships. For those who struggle with depression, anxiety or other behavioral health issues, a loss can trigger symptoms of these problems.
Are you struggling with a loss? Have you noticed a negative impact of this loss on your quality of life? Do you feel isolated and alone? Maybe you’ve turned to alcohol, marijuana, or other drugs in an attempt to cope with it. Even if you haven’t turned to substances, maybe you’ve engaged in other unhealthy habits. Perhaps you’ve had thoughts of not living or even of suicide. Grief and its negative effects can cloud your judgement, make you less efficient at work or school and push you farther away from others.
Is your Child Struggling with A Loss?
Is your child or teen struggling with a loss? Have you noticed a change in their relationships, mood, sleep or performance at school? It’s not unusual for kids and teens to experience worry, confusion and withdrawal even months after a loss. Grief can complicate the already challenging developmental tasks of childhood and adolescence. Kids might not seem like they’re grieving, but they experience strong grief reactions that are sometimes quite different from those of adults.
Maybe You’ve Tried Everything You Know
It’s possible that you have done everything you can think of to help—including talking with friends, clergy, even your family doctor—but with limited impact. You may feel frustrated with yourself for not “getting over it”. Perhaps there are those in your life who’ve expressed frustration with you. Or, maybe your mood has negatively impacted your relationships.
Research shows that many of those facing losses in their lives can benefit from grief counseling. Talking through losses helps. Learning about “normal” grief and the many ways you might experience it can help you feel more capable and less alone. Also, it is beneficial to find ways to remember and honor the lost individual. Finding peace in the “new normal” is possible.
Grief is an Individualized Process
You might have heard of the Stages of Grief popularized by the media. While these stages, developed by psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, can be informative; grief occurs on a very individual level. While there are similarities in the ways that people grieve, everyone’s experience is different and the “stage model” doesn’t apply to everyone. From the timing of processing grief to the coping skills that help us, we all have our own path. For children and teens, the process can look very different from what we might expect.
Is grieving harder than it used to be? That’s debatable, but we do live in a fast-paced society that often gives us little time and space to reflect upon our lives. Sometimes we simply lack the time and place to get in touch with our feelings and process them.
Grief Counseling Can Provide A Much-Needed Safe Space
Pressure from everyday life prevents us from creating time and space to consider our losses and the changes that these bring about in our lives. We need time to talk about and reflect upon our losses so that we heal and even grow from them.
Grief counseling can provide that safe space. Taking the time to sit with a trained counselor to process losses is meaningful. Sharing memories, considering the implications of the loss, talking about our own thoughts about mortality. These are all important aspects of processing a loss. Having someone to discuss the practical aspects of a loss with is critical. There are often everyday changes that occur in the aftermath of a loss. Talking these through in a safe place is often essential to healing.
Children and teens often need expert help in navigating grief in a healthy way. It’s not uncommon for parents to feel at a loss in guiding their child through grief.
We believe healthy relationships are key to emotional well-being, so we’ll explore how your loss might be affecting your relationships (both with others and with yourself). This relationship-oriented approach can help you see yourself and others more clearly and develop new, healthier ways of relating in light of the loss.
We find helping people deal with losses and grief very rewarding. Seeing people find hope and heal from losses is an amazing process. We’re very proud of the work we do to guide people through their own grief process in the aftermath of a loss. Whether your loss is a family member, a dear friend, a neighbor, a pet, a relationship or an acquaintance, we meet you where you are and guide you to the path forward.
As you consider grief counseling, you may have some hesitations…
I don’t like the idea that I need professional help.
While it’s true that some people are able to navigate losses in their lives without professional help, many find talking with a trained professional to be very helpful. We tell our clients that seeking help is a sign of resourcefulness and strength. There is no shame in needing or wanting guidance and help in coping with a loss.
Coming in for therapy doesn’t mean there is something wrong with you. It just means you could benefit from a bit of extra support. In fact, we consider it a sign of strength to recognize your own limits and to ask for the help you deserve.
Why should I come to Groupworks and not some other grief counseling center?
Every one of our psychologists has a doctoral degree, which means they have gone through thousands of hours of advanced training and supervision. This clinical expertise empowers them to provide the highest quality of care.
We have the training that permits us to guide you in a deep look at your own life, your challenges, and your relationships. Beyond our doctoral training, we engage in ongoing continuing education to further refine and hone our skills.
How do I know you can help with my specific issue(s)?
We gather information from each of our potential clients to ensure that we are the best fit for them. If we feel, we can’t be of help for you, we will offer you a quality referral to someone who can. We have a great deal of confidence in our ability to help people navigate losses in their lives. It is our goal to form a meaningful and collaborative relationship with each of our clients.
Give Yourself Every Chance To Succeed
If you’re still not sure if Groupworks can provide the support you need, please contact us to learn more about our adult counseling services. We have a reputation for success with even the most complex cases, and we don’t shy away from a challenge. We’re looking forward to working with you!