Grief Counseling

Are You Experiencing A Sudden Loss Or Change In Your Life?

We are here to help! When we lose someone we love or experience a loss of normalcy in our lives, it can shatter our sense of safety and we may feel like we’ve lost control. Our world transforms into an unfamiliar landscape where intense and often painful emotions can take hold, leaving us afraid, heartbroken, and uncertain of the future.

We may experience shock, disbelief, guilt, denial, anger, self-recrimination, bargaining, despair, apathy, hopelessness, and many emotions that may be confusing. In most cases, we don’t even have the language to express our feelings. So we may get depressed, and lose hope. We can experience extreme sadness and ruminate on the past wishing we could go back and do something different to change the present loss.

Grief Can Impact How We Live In Powerful Ways!

Oftentimes, grief can make us shut down and isolate from everyone and everything. We might feel lonely, regretful, or perhaps guilty for not doing things differently when we “had the chance.” So we throw ourselves into work, hobbies, or taking care of the kids as a distraction.

Our bodies can even translate emotional pain into irregular sleep patterns, difficulty concentrating, loss of appetite, or a tightness in the chest. With so much fear and uncertainty—so much grief and sadness—it can feel like a struggle just getting through the day without having a mental breakdown.

Losing someone or something you love deeply can turn your world upside down—but there is a way to heal and find peace. At Windows of Hope Counseling, we’re here to help you move through your grief and build a future that honors both your loss and your need to continue onward.

Sadly, Loss Is An Inevitable Part Of Life

Loss can visit us in many ways, including a miscarriage, a painful breakup (or divorce), or the loss of a religious community, employment, and sometimes even our own physical capabilities. Loss is one of the most painful experiences humans endure.

It is perfectly normal for guilt, hopelessness, and bargaining—or a whole spectrum of complicated thoughts and feelings—to surface. Unfortunately, outside of counseling, our culture does little to teach us how to accept and work through grief and loss.

Well-meaning family members rarely have the tools or insight to help loved ones process their pain. Often, many symptoms, such as anger, guilt, self-doubt, and bargaining, are not even recognized as expressions of grief.

Some people are told they need to have more faith in God or they just need to get over it! Some loss appears insignificant, so we may not be given the space, understanding, or a chance to grieve. Anxiety, fear of death, past attachment wounding, and impatient friends and family can all negatively influence how we respond to a loss.

At Windows of Hope Counseling Center, we believe your grieving process is yours and yours alone, which means we’ll meet you wherever you are on your journey through grief. With the help of our well-trained therapists, you can explore your experience of loss in a healthy way that promotes healing, acceptance, and a renewed hope for finding happiness.

Grief Counseling Honors Your Loss While Helping You Move Forward

I created Windows of Hope Counseling Center to give everyone an environment to safely share their story, express their grief, and process their experiences.

Our goal is to create a healing atmosphere where you can begin to regain energy, experience relief from abnormal physical symptoms, and discover a renewed interest in life. We’re here to help you increase self-confidence, set new goals for the future, and move into a space of graceful acceptance.

Many people tell us that they want to learn to let go of their grief experience, or they want to bury the pain and deny themselves the grieving process. But it’s extremely important we embrace our grief process and make a plan for connection and healing, which is why therapy can be beneficial. Working with a counselor gives you someone to sit with you—someone to connect with amidst your grieving.

After all, we live in connection and thrive in connection! My hope is you will find a safe person to connect with on your journey of healing.

What Do We Do In Grief Counseling Sessions?

Our grief therapists at Windows of Hope Counseling Center are trained to explore and address all stages and symptoms related to the grieving process. That includes—but is not limited to—anger, shock (denial), anxiety (e.g., bargaining thoughts and behaviors), and depression (as well as its related physical symptoms).

Ultimately, we want to work toward embracing acceptance and reintegrating yourself into life. Along the way, we can explore any additional unmet needs or co-occurring life situations that have been impacted by your loss. Your counselor will also help you develop insight into your personal grieving process while equipping you with tools for making that journey less painful.

Some Of The Tools We Use In Grief And Loss Counseling

Every person’s experience with grief and loss is different, so we utilize a combination of healing strategies, including Compassionate Inquiry Therapy, psychodynamic therapy, Imago relationship therapy, experiential therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), collaborative therapy, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) techniques. These tools enable our clients to process (and address) their thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and the impact of loss in their daily lives.

We also believe that it’s imperative for clients to have an opportunity to say goodbye to their loved one(s) and experiences and define what that process looks like for them. We want to give clients a chance to reflect on the best times, what they learned from their loved one(s) and experiences, what they want them to know, and all of the things that deserve to be cherished.

Although grief and loss can be devastating, counseling truly can help you come to terms with your experience and find relief from the pain. You’ll learn how to embrace your loss in a way that honors all the things you wish to remember without feeling emotionally overwhelmed. Over time, you can begin to function better, feel more at peace, and discover a renewed interest in life.

Perhaps You’re Considering Grief And Loss Counseling But Still Have Concerns…

When will my grief end? How long does bereavement counseling take?

It’s important to understand that your experience is yours and yours alone, so there is no definitive timeline for overcoming grief. Managing intense emotions and getting back to the daily routine of exercise, spiritual practices, being social, and so forth—it’s all a process. However, grief therapy helps you make sense of that process so you can consciously deal with symptoms and make real progress toward healing faster.

Talking about my loss is too difficult and makes things worse for me.

Grief can rob you of your sense of control in life, so it’s important to empower you with choices—the autonomy to choose a therapist with whom you feel safe enough to entrust your pain. As you build a connection, you gradually become more capable of communicating on a deeper level without getting overwhelmed. That said, we’ll provide you with practical strategies for staying grounded, and we’ll always work at a pace that respects your needs and your processes.

My family and friends think I lack faith. Is there something wrong with me?

Rest assured, there is nothing wrong with you! Although spiritual practices can be a huge source of support for coping with the loss of a loved one, that’s only part of the healing journey. Just as you would turn to a spiritual leader to better utilize your faith, working with a grief counselor helps you utilize all of your skills, internal strengths, and—yes—even your faith to help you heal and move forward.

Let Us Guide You Along Your Journey Through Grief

If you’re struggling to manage your emotions or function in the wake of a painful loss, grief therapy with Windows Of Hope Counseling Center can offer support and relief. Please call (310) 948-9929 or use our Contact Page to set up your first online or in-person grief therapy session and get started on your path toward healing.