Grief and Loss Counselling Surrey

Therapy for Grief and Loss in Surrey

Grief and loss are normal and inevitable aspects of life and grieving is a process that happens gradually over time. While death is a particularly pronounced event, there are many other types of experiences that lead to grief or loss. Any event that involves a change could be seen as a loss, and requires the process of grief and transition. Unfortunately, some experiences are often not validated by individuals or society as loss; unacknowledged or unresolved losses are often found to be at the root of later mental health problems. Before the process of rebuilding can occur, one must go through the full grieving process. This process is not always linear, and can include many painful returns to the beginning of the healing and grief process. Counselling can help you navigate this process and reflect on what you are going through.

grief counsellor in Surrey BC offering therapy for deaths and losses

Loss, grief and bereavement remove a sense of security and control. One is no longer attached in the same way to a person, object or activity that once provided security, meaning or purpose. Although these experiences tend to be the greatest catalysts for growth and self-actualization, working through the grief can feel unbearable, painful or even impossible.

Loss Can Be Divided Into Four Different Categories

Relationship Loss: This may include the experience of death of a loved one, illness, divorce, separation, abandonment, rejection, abuse within a previously trusting relationship, or moving geographically from parents or friends. Any change in a relationship as we once knew it, constitutes a relationship loss. These losses can cause dramatic changes in the way that we live and relate our world and other people. This type of loss also includes grieving pets and companionship animals.

Loss of Some Aspect of Self: When we experience a relationship loss, we lose an integral part of and sense of who we are. We have invested some part of ourselves into all of our relationships. Often, the way we view ourselves comes from our interactions and relationship dynamics with others. A major part of the grief process is letting go of a former identity, grieving that part of you that is gone forever and rebuilding a new identity. Loss of some aspect of self is also experienced in child abuse, rape, illness, physical change, loss of hopes, dreams, and major changes and disappointments. Professional burnout and professional impairment are also profound losses of self.

Treasured Objects or Possession Loss: Objects are physical and tangible, but often their meaning and importance are intangible. A treasured object is any object that connects a person in memory or reality to an important relationship or some aspect of identity. Objects that have been part of a family for generations connect them to an important part of their past and heritage. The family home that is sold after the death of parents often represents the loss of connection to childhood. Fire and theft often rob people of treasured objects that hold intense significance.

Developmental Loss: As we grow, gain insight, and mature throughout life, change is involved and a part of ourselves must be relinquished. Maturing, aging and physical changes can be very poignant losses. Often developmental losses compound or confuse more visible losses. For examples: a 65-year old whose job position is eliminated is also coping with developmental issues of aging; an adolescent being left behind by a lover may be experiencing other losses inherent in that stage of development; or children who lose significant others through death may experience a grief process can span their developmental years. All of these examples and many more show how development and change can create a sense of loss and require adaptation.

How a Grief Counsellor in Surrey or Online Can Help

A cycle of loss, grief and growth is part of the universal experience of being human, but we must grieve and let go in order to grow and make future attachments. Processing grief and dealing with the aftermath of loss is something that can be greatly helped with the aid of a skilled therapist. Counselling provides a space where safety and trust are established; a person can face their many conflicting feelings in a supportive and held way. Counsellors take care to hear you from a place of compassion and they help facilitate the healing that needs to take place for you to live a meaningful life after a significant loss. Our therapists specialize in multiple forms of counselling that can help with grief and loss, including EMDR. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) can help relieve grief and loss when the symptoms are connected to trauma. Sometimes time doesn't heal all wounds so EMDR therapy can help put healing back on track when a client is feeling stuck or unsure where to turn next. 

Benefits of Counselling for Grief and Loss in Surrey

Therapy for grief and loss in Surrey and online offers several benefits:

  1. Emotional Support: Therapists provide a safe space to express and process emotions.

  2. Coping Skills: Learn techniques to manage the challenges of grief.

  3. Understanding: Gain insights into the grieving process and its stages.

  4. Closure: Work through unresolved feelings and find a sense of closure.

  5. Healthy Expression: Learn to express emotions in a constructive way.

  6. Self-Care: Develop strategies to take care of physical and mental well-being.

  7. Adaptation: Therapists help navigate life changes after loss.

  8. Connection: Connect with others who understand and share similar experiences.

  9. Resilience: Develop resilience and find meaning in the midst of loss.

Therapy guides individuals through grief's complexities, fostering healing, emotional growth, and the ability to move forward.

Free Consultation with Grief Counsellors and Trauma Therapists in Surrey and Online

If you are experiencing grief or loss, book an appointment with one of our counsellors who are trained and skilled at helping individuals through the most difficult of experiences.

Nobody should go through loss or grief alone which is why we are here to help.

If you are considering counselling, we encourage you to try a free consultation call with one or more of our team members who specialize in treating various types of trauma: