Grief is an exquisite pain and the loss of a loved one due to death, or the loss of a partner or other important relationship results in emotional agony. While there is no way to expel the human reaction to painful separation, Grief Counseling can assist you in responding to your emotions in a way that supports positive emotional health and the acceptance of the realities of your loss.
Grief Counseling is a unique kind of therapy, as grief itself is different from other forms of emotions or mental health diagnosis such as depression. Grief Counseling respects that each person will have individual reactions to their hurt and that there is no time line that can truly accurately assess when the hurt will stop aching. It is also likely that life will be forever transformed by the power of losing someone very special. It is also true that losing someone who we were estranged from, or we had some conflict with is sometimes even more troubling than other kinds of grief.
For many grieving a loss, the feelings don’t fade with time or improve. Their emotions might be so intense that it disrupts their daily life. Living with complicated grief can bring up dysfunctional behaviors and unconventional thoughts. This chronic form of suffering can make it impossible to return to a healthy state of life. When normal grief does not go away, complicated grief occurs.
The best way to cope with complicated grief is by seeking out professional counseling and therapy. Treatment can help you focus on your condition and begin the process of healing. You can also join a bereavement support group to talk about your feelings of sorrow, pain, and loss. It’s important to know that you are not alone and that other people experience the same emotions.
How Grief Counseling Can Help
Grieving the loss of a loved one is one of the deepest pains humans can experience. Loss can create a hole so deep that it feels like we will never find our way out from drowning in the pain and sorrow of unanswered questions, shock, disbelief, anger, and a sea of “what ifs;” and that’s okay. It is okay not to be okay! Grief is natural human reaction to great loss, and there is not right or wrong way to grieve such a loss. Grief Counseling works at your pace and can help you by:
- Normalizing Your Experience: Allowing you to express your emotions and thoughts in a nonjudgmental safe space. There are no expectations or proper time frames for grieving such deep pain. We can hold space for all of your intense emotions until you are ready to begin moving through them.
- Providing Support: Support is a foundational concept of grief counseling. In this time when you feel alone and confused, we can provide compassion and support to help you find stability in such unsure times.
- Providing Coping Strategies: Grieving can cause physical pain and emptiness. We will work with you to develop healthy coping skills to help you weather the storm and find islands of calm during this tumultuous time.
- Facilitating The Grieving Process: We will sit with you and help you move through the pain through the exploration of your thoughts, feelings, and beliefs surrounding your loss.
- Providing Guidance: In these uncertain times it’s normal to get lost in complex emotions. We often set aside practical life chores and challenges because in the grand scheme of our loss it’s difficult to put them into perspective. This is another natural reaction to such deep pain. We can help guide you through these practicalities with compassion and empathy so minimize the compounded consequences that can follow
Grief isn’t just caused by the death of a person but any loss can cause grief, including:
- Divorce or relationship breakup
- Chronic illness or disability
- Loss of a job
- Loss of financial stability
- Miscarriage or infertility
- Retirement
- Death of a pet
- Loss of a cherished dream
- A loved one’s serious illness
- Loss of a friendship
- Loss of safety after a trauma
- Loss of a home or community
Why Join a Grief Support Group?
In addition to individual Grief Counseling, joining a grief support group can be an invaluable source of solace and understanding. Grief support groups provide a communal space where individuals experiencing similar emotions can come together to share their stories and support one another through the challenging journey of grief.
- Professional Guidance: Experienced grief counselors bring professional knowledge and skills to the group, ensuring that discussions are led with sensitivity and expertise. Their guidance helps create a safe space for participants to express their emotions.
- Shared Understanding: Grieving the loss of a loved one or facing other types of profound loss can be isolating. In a grief support group, you’ll find individuals who can relate to your experiences, creating a shared understanding that helps alleviate feelings of isolation.
- Emotional Validation: Members of a grief support group offer emotional validation, acknowledging that your feelings of sorrow, pain, and loss are real and valid. This validation can be a crucial aspect of the healing process.
- Nonjudgmental Environment: Grief is a deeply personal experience, and individuals may cope in various ways. Grief support groups provide a nonjudgmental environment where each person’s unique journey is respected and accepted.
- Camaraderie: Being part of a grief support group fosters a sense of camaraderie. Knowing that you are not alone in your struggles can bring comfort and strength during difficult times.
- Learning from Others: Hearing others share their coping strategies and experiences can provide insights and inspiration for navigating your own grief journey. It can also offer different perspectives on the grieving process.
While Grief Counseling is crucial for individual healing, a grief support group can complement this by offering a sense of community and shared understanding.
Remember, seeking help is a sign of strength, and in the company of others who understand the depth of your pain, you can find the support needed to navigate the complexities of grief.
Meet Our Grief Counselors
Get Started with Grief Counseling
If you are interested in starting Grief Counseling, you can call us at 412-322-2129 or fill out the form below and someone will get back to you.
Blogs About Grief
6 Stages of Grief? What is Grief Anxiety?
by Counseling and Wellness Center of PittsburghMay 22, 2024 5 stages of grief, 6 stages of grief, Claire Bidwell Smith, complicated bereavement, complicated bereavment, complicated grief, death, death of child, death of husband, death of parent, death of wife, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, five stages of grief, grief, grief anxiety, grief counseling, grieving process, grieving the loss of a parent, mourning, stages of grief, The 5 Stages of Grief, the stages of grief0 comments
6 Stages of Grief? What is Grief Anxiety?
Have you ever found yourself questioning if your grieving process is “wrong” because it doesn’t align with the commonly known five stages of grief coined by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance? If so, you may find some new insight from Claire Bidwell Smith, LCPC....
Learn MoreExpectations for the Grieving Process
by Counseling and Wellness Center of PittsburghJune 28, 2023 complicated bereavement, complicated grief, death, death of child, death of husband, death of parent, death of wife, grief, grief counseling, grief therapy, grieving process, grieving the loss of a parent0 comments
Have you ever wondered “is this normal?” during the grieving process. We are here to help you answer that question. According to Therese Rando, there are many things you can expect during the grieving process.
You can expect that the grieving process will take longer than most think. According to the Center for Prolonged Grief, “Acute grief occurs in the initial period after a...
Learn MoreThe Impact of Perinatal Loss on Parental Mental Health
by Counseling and Wellness Center of PittsburghMay 17, 2023 grief, grief counseling, grief therapy, miscarriage, perinatal loss, perinatal mental health, stillbirth0 comments
The emotional toll of perinatal loss, a devastating experience of losing a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth, is often overlooked and underestimated. This article sheds light on the profound effects it has on the mental health of parents and highlights available treatment options for healing and support.
The Emotional Consequences of Perinatal...
Learn MoreCoping With Grief During the Holidays
by Counseling and Wellness Center of PittsburghNovember 15, 2021 anticipatory grief, bereavement, coping with loss, death of child, death of husband, death of parent, death of wife, family loss, grief, grief counseling, grief therapy, holidays, loss counseling0 comments
Kristen saw her reflection in the full-length mirror. She looked lovely in the beautiful dress she had purchased for her company’s holiday party. Yet, in the blink of an eye, Kristen found herself sobbing, the carefully applied make-up now smeared by her tears. She didn’t know how she was going to get through the event. All she could focus on was her beloved sister, whom she tragically lost a...
Learn MoreWhat is Complicated Grief?
by Counseling and Wellness Center of PittsburghMay 19, 2021 bereavement, divorce, family estrangement, family loss, grief, grief counseling, grief counseling monroeville, grief counseling pittsburgh, grief therapy, grief therapy monroeville, grief therapy pittsburgh, grieving the loss of a parent, Uncategorized0 comments
Losing someone close to you can invoke many complex emotions like sadness, pain, loss, and hurt. These feelings are natural and a part of life, but with complicated grief, or complicated bereavement disorder, such feelings don’t fade with time or improve. Their emotions might be so intense that it disrupts their daily life.
Living with complicated grief can bring up dysfunctional behaviors and...
Learn MoreGrief and Loss
by Counseling and Wellness Center of PittsburghApril 14, 2018 bereavement, complicated bereavement, complicated bereavment, coping with loss, death of child, death of husband, death of parent, death of wife, divorce counseling, grief, grief counseling, grief counseling monroeville, grief counseling pittsburgh, grief therapy, grief therapy monroeville, grief therapy pittsburgh, healthy mourning, loss counseling, seperation0 comments
Grief and Loss, Beware The Traps of Grief, Finding Healthy Coping.
Grief is an emotional reaction characterized by sadness, hurt, hopelessness and intense longing for someone or something that is no longer a part of our lives. While there are many forms of grief, and we can even at times go through the grief cycle when are making significant changes in our lives and looking back imagining how...
Learn MoreAwakening, Good Morning True Self, A Counselors Meditation
by Stephanie McCrackenMay 4, 2015 counseling, mindfulness, personal growth, psychology, psychotherapy, wisdom0 comments
Waking Up To The Present Moment and True Self
Is our fantasy of tomorrow preventing life today? There is a Zen saying which states that we should all aspire to be like a baby, experiencing each thing anew, recovering its wonder, in this we find peace, we find joy, we find the departure of negative feeling states attached to memory’s. There are many times when the perception of life’s...
Learn MoreApril Rain Drops; Tear Drops, A Counselors Thoughts on Grief
by Stephanie McCrackenApril 13, 2015 counseling, mindfulness, personal growth, psychology, psychotherapy, wisdom0 comments
Grief, Tear Drops Cling
With the passing of the seasons, the moist dew draping the landscape, like just maybe the earth herself is crying for one of the many seasons departures. Typically the subjects I explore are things that I find intellectually interesting, topics which may be trending on the web. Today something different, in a recent reading about tapping into universal...
Learn More“How to work Through Guilt, a Psychotherapists Musings”
by Stephanie McCrackenAugust 26, 2014 counseling, couples counseling, elephant journal, marriage counseling, psychology, psychotherapy0 comments
Hope is the thing that floats
Written by us and as featured in Elephant Journal
http://www.elephantjournal.com/2014/09/how-to-work-through-guilt-a-psychotherapists-musings-stephanie-mccracken/
Guilt. Certainly we all know that haunting sensation.
Even the most conscientious and heroic among us will experience guilt from time to time.
Those living a socially mindful life often can’t escape the...
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