Grief & Loss Therapy
FOR CHILDREN, ADULTS and FAMILIES EXPERIENCING LOSS, OR TRANSITION
Grief has taken your joy.
You aren’t who you once were.
This loss - of a parent, a child, a pregnancy, a spouse, your health - has changed you. How could it not? But you aren’t sure you like this new you.
Lifeless, joyless, you are a shell of who you once were.
It feels better to close the curtains, and curl up in bed. The sun is too bright and everything hurts.
You don’t want to go out anymore.
Walking with grief is lonely. But you don’t have to be alone, and joy is possible again.
You aren’t the parent you should be, and your kids notice.
You don’t play, you give in to them because their needs are too much. You don’t even care that much that you aren’t the best mom. You can barely take care of yourself and sometimes wish you didn’t have to worry about anyone else. But you have to.
You push all the feelings away, and fake it as best you can.
“I’m good” you tell people when they ask. But you’re not. With worry that you’re overreacting, you tell yourself, “I should be over this by now.”
But grief is deep, and heavy and dark.
Letting it sit is creating a dark place inside you, and without attention, it will harden.
Unprocessed grief can lead to bad decisions. It can turn into anger and resentment. And it can become anxiety as you unconsciously avoid people and events that touch the sadness.
Children grieve differently.
If your child has experienced a loss — even something adults might feel is less significant like the loss of a pet, or a move to a new home, or city — it can have deeper impacts than understood.
Children don’t tend to verbalize their grief the way adults do. You won’t hear them say “I’m sad” but you might see behaviors that don’t make sense in the moment such as:
unable to settle
acting out in aggressive ways
feeling angry/irritable
curling up in a corner/withdrawn
wanting to take care of others/play cooking for everyone
not wanting to talk about the loss
complaining of stomachaches or headaches more frequently
When you are grieving along with your child, it is difficult to how how and when to tend to the needs that arise.
Everyone’s needs are a priority.
But time doesn’t heal all wounds. And if you think your child is struggling with unprocessed grief over a loss, or a transition, it’s important to reach out and seek support. What we don’t work through can get “stuck” inside, and just like adults, their choices, beliefs, and even identity can become wrapped around the feelings they struggle to avoid.
Unprocessed grief can become our identity.
Gentle, understanding and empathetic support with someone experienced with what you’re going through can make all the difference. For you, and for your child.
Someone to unlock those dark places.
Someone that’s holding a light for you.
It won’t be easy. You need to be brave.
The worst has already happened. You can do this, and find the thread of joy that is within the purest form of grief - it’s there because it tells you you are alive to feel this much. And you can find a new you that you love, grow around the loss, and allow it to make your heart stronger and more beautiful.
Don’t wait any longer to find peace.
