Grief Counseling
Are You Having Trouble Coping With The Loss Of A Loved One?
Is the grief of losing a child, sibling, or parent preventing you from finding peace and moving on with your life? Are you struggling with the traumatic loss of someone you love due to Covid-19, crime, or gun violence? Do you work in the medical or psychology field and need help processing all the death or trauma you encounter on a daily basis?
Perhaps your loss looks a little different. For instance, you may be a professional person of color who is exhausted and on the brink of walking away from a career because of systemic racism and microaggressions in the workplace. Or it could be that the economic toll of the pandemic has already cost you your business or job—or your hopes for the future. And if you’ve experienced infidelity or betrayal in a relationship, you may feel robbed of your sense of identity and trust.
As a result, you may be having trouble sleeping or taking care of yourself, electing to numb the pain with food, alcohol, or prescription drugs. The whirlwind of anger, fear, hopelessness, and profound emptiness makes tolerating others difficult, so you begin to shut down and withdraw. Or perhaps you’re second-guessing the gravity of your experience and denying yourself the opportunity to grieve.
At this point, you probably feel so tired—so disconnected and sad that it seems like nothing will ever get better. But at Insideout Living, there is a way to honor your loss and still find a way forward. Through our work together, you’ll inherit a community that will bear witness to your story, validate your loss, and act as a support system so you don’t have to be your sole source of strength.
To Grieve Is To Be Human
If you have lost someone you love to gun violence, Covid-19, drugs, or suicide, you are not alone. There are literally hundreds of thousands of families grieving and struggling to put themselves back together again. However, if your loss doesn’t fall into one of those categories, you may be second-guessing your experience, thinking “Maybe I’m just making a big deal out of nothing.” However, grief and loss come in all shapes and sizes. A divorce, miscarriage, or the loss of a job, your faith, or identity can also have a huge impact on your well-being.
The truth is, most of us will experience a difficult loss at some point in our lives. Yet despite that commonality, the grieving process is still unimaginably hard to go through—so difficult, in fact, that many people do all they can to not feel the pain.
However, one of the first steps on the path to healing is acknowledging that it’s okay to experience all the raw emotions that grief brings up. It’s also crucial to connect with a healing community that is facilitated by professionals who understand the complexities of grief. Unfortunately, the pandemic has made it more challenging than ever to connect with people who can help navigate the grieving process.
That’s why online group therapy and individual therapy can be so empowering. With our help, you can process your grief, find additional resources for support, and develop a roadmap for finding joy again.
Grief Counseling Can Offer You Hope For A Better Tomorrow
One of the most complicated aspects of loss is the loneliness and powerlessness that people experience. Grief and loss counseling, however, can mitigate those feelings and act as a powerful resource, particularly in a group therapy environment. It offers you the chance to be validated and witnessed by others going through similar ordeals. And it gives you the space to make meaning of your loss, find power in your story, and honor that which was lost. Over time, you can heal and cultivate a collective strength that lets you celebrate your resilience amid the pain and chaos.
The first thing we’ll do in grief counseling is get a better understanding of your experience. We’ll look at how you are doing physically, what kind of support resources you’ve been able to find, and what kind of obstacles you are facing day-to-day. We’ll equip you with strategies for reducing stress and managing emotional triggers, such as birthdays or anniversaries. And you’ll learn skills for functioning better and taking care of your overall health.
At that point, we will make a mutual decision on which type of grief group is appropriate for you. If you have suffered a traumatic loss, such as losing a child to gun violence, we may want to start with individual trauma therapy sessions to help you navigate some of the more immediate issues and raw emotions you may be running into. Ultimately, however, we want to get you to a place where you can join one of our online grief counseling groups—because that is where true healing happens.
Therapy naturally provides a certain amount of immediate relief from grief and suffering. However, we also want to help you heal on a deeper level so you can handle the physically, mentally, and emotionally challenging aspects of the grieving process. To do that, we may use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, Somatic Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Art Therapy, and even Yoga. Together, these interventions can calm the nervous system, release emotional pain stored in your body, and help you interpret your story of loss from an evolving perspective.
We understand that you feel alone, but by working as a group and cultivating communal strength, you can experience more joy in life. Rather than focusing on pain and grief, you can learn to embrace the qualities that made the person you lost so wonderful. In that way, grief counseling offers closure and the ability to re-engage with life and find new purpose while still honoring your loved one. And with the ongoing network of support you can build, you will have all the resources you need to heal and grow.
Perhaps you’re considering grief and loss counseling but still have some questions or concerns…
How can a grief support group help ease my pain?
Each Circle of Strength teaches clients skills for regulating emotions, navigating triggers, and finding meaning and healing in the sharing of their stories. Whatever your needs are, you’ll find a safe, supportive, and loving community in which to strengthen your resilience and discover a way to move forward with your life in peace.
I don’t think I have the time for bereavement counseling. Besides, I doubt I could contain my pain anyway.
Healing is a naturally gradual process precisely because we don’t want to open up a great big hole in the process. It’s crucial to honor each person’s way of grieving, which is why our groups empower you to direct the pace, depth, and content of our conversations. And because you will have the safety of a communal relationship supporting you, sharing your story may be easier. Additionally, all of our group therapy sessions meet online, giving you the autonomy to participate from wherever you feel most secure.
Why can’t I use my faith or willpower for overcoming grief on my own
Oftentimes, religious or cultural messages condition us to believe that reaching out for help is a weakness or failure. But realizing that you need an additional source of support speaks to your ability to identify and meet your particular needs for healing. It’s a demonstration of self-awareness that we can build upon to empower you with strength, courage, and self-compassion. Regardless of what you were taught, you do not have to go through this alone.
Let Us Help You Find A Way Through The Darkness
If you are coping with a loss or the death of a loved one, Insideout Living can help you reclaim your sense of hope and wholeness. Please call 847 328 7588 ext 501 for your free, 10 to 15-minute front-end consultation where we will set you up with a therapist and online grief support group that matches your needs.
*https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/injury.htm
**https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/suicide.shtml
