Our therapists offer grief & loss counseling in Lakewood, OH

When I work with people on grief and loss, we work to normalize the experience of grief, provide emotion regulation skills and boundary-setting skills, and explore the depth of grief and how it may change over time but does not go away.

My go-to approach for supporting people through grief and loss counseling is to meet them where they are. I prefer this approach because grief looks different for everyone, and it's important to understand what the individual wants and needs from grief counseling before diving in.

I prioritize providing tools to regulate emotions as best as possible while grieving, exploring ways to honor and stay connected to those we've lost, and increasing ways to hold and make space for grief.

Some of the tools I teach in grief and loss counseling are: expressing needs to a support system, coping with intense and overwhelming feelings, and self-compassion.

A client is making meaningful progress in grief and loss therapy when they are better able to understand and normalize their grief, when they are better able to experience their grief-based emotions, and when they are showing insight into how grief impacts parts of their lives through responding with effective boundary setting and coping strategies.

I know a client is making meaningful progress in grief and loss counseling when they begin to be able to live with their grief. For some, this looks like being able to eat and shower again. For others, this may look like returning to work or social outings while still holding space for what was lost.

Clients can supplement their grief and loss counseling by applying skills learned in therapy and doing their best to meet themselves with compassion, patience, and care.

Clients can supplement their time in grief and loss counseling by taking time to slow down. Grief and loss can slow down our thoughts, feelings, and physical experiences. Taking breaks, slowing down processes, and even taking a few minutes for yourself can help when life doesn't allow much time for processing.

A client can prepare for grief and loss counseling by reflecting on where they are at with discussing grief and where they may want to set boundaries as they start to open up about and process grief and loss.

To prepare for their first grief and loss counseling session, an individual can identify a few small practical goals they would like to work on, especially if the loss was recent. Individuals can also ask their therapist questions about their approaches to grief and loss to determine whether a therapist is the right fit.