Grief and Loss Counselling

What is grief?

Grief is a natural response to loss and gives rise to emotions such as sadness, anger and disbelief. You may have suffered a loss recently, or be dealing with painful memories of past loss.

Grief can be experienced in different ways, depending on the individual, and the nature of the loss, whether the death of a loved one or some other life-changing event.

Sometimes, only one person is missing, and the whole world seems depopulated.

Alphonse de Lamartine, Méditations Poétiques

How do we grieve?

Common responses can be the expression of deep emotions, or even numbness. Some seek solace in the company of others, while others withdraw into solitude. The grieving process affects individuals in different ways, according to their personality, culture, and the nature of their loss.

Grief is different. Grief has no distance. Grief comes in waves, paroxysms, sudden apprehensions that weaken the knees and blind the eyes and obliterate the dailiness of life.

Joan Didion, The Year of Magical Thinking

How could counselling help?

Grief counselling is designed to comfort individuals in their suffering by providing kind, practical, reliable advice on how to get through it. Counselling can be beneficial for those experiencing grief. Grief counselling provides a supportive environment for individuals to express their emotions, navigate the grieving process, and develop coping strategies. It can offer valuable insights and tools to help people cope with the challenges of loss.

Give sorrow words; the grief that does not speak knits up the o’er wrought heart and bids it break.

William Shakespeare