If you’ve recently lost a loved one you know what grief is. It doesn’t matter if it was sudden or expected, the pain is the same.

Many people describe an intense sorrow or sadness, while others will describe an anger so deep it frightens them, still others a numbness that somehow they have been functioning in for some time. Usually this pain is continuous, and made worse by the knowledge that tomorrow you will still grieve.

C.S. Lewis said in his book A Grief Observed:

Part of every misery is, so to speak, the misery’s shadow or reflection: the fact that you don’t merely suffer but have to keep on thinking about the fact that you suffer. I not only live each endless day in grief, but live each day thinking about living each day in grief.

With a million different self help books, steps, and stages it is hard to find our way out of such suffering.

We don’t believe that there is a simple formula or one size fits all plan to work through grief counseling, it looks different for each person. We can, however, help you understand how to deal with grief and loss in a personal one on one way. It is important to understand that grieving cannot be rushed, and it is not our job to make you “get over it”. As your counselor our role is to be present where you are in your grief and help you walk through it.

When is it time to seek counseling for your grief?

• When you feel “stuck” in your grief, unable to move.
• When it interferes with school or work.
• When it is impacting your relationships negatively.
• If you feel alone.
• If your only source(s) of support are grieving as well.