Grief & Loss Therapy
“Grief takes longer than anyone else around you thinks it should.” -Anonymous
Grief is the experience of many different feelings when faced with a significant loss. Our society does not teach how to grieve our losses. In the corporate world you are expected to have perhaps three days of bereavement and then returned to work as usual. Even those who are close to the grieving person expect the grieving person to get over their loss and move on based on some subjective time frame they believe the grief process should take. Unrealistic expectations such as this, complicate the grieving process. Often the people in the grieving person’s life are so uncomfortable with their own feelings of helplessness as to what to do for their friend that they might find themselves pulling away when the grieving individual needs them the most. All of this promotes a sense of isolation for the grieving person who is experiencing deep emotional pain.
Western society was built on rugged individualism where strength and toughness were revered and showing your emotions was seen as a weakness. In many ways, these values have continued to be perpetuated. However, people have found solace in learning how to move through their grief and loss through individual and group therapy, and numerous support groups. Death of a loved one, divorce, loss of a pet, loss of a career or any other loss can leave you feeling hurt, sad, angry, empty, lost and confused. You may also believe that you just can’t seem to get over it. If this is you, it is probably a good indicator that you need grief counseling.