I am a grief professional but I am also a bereaved parent and daughter.
Although my grief experience is unique to me, I understand how life can be forever changed by the death of a loved one. I also understand how important it is to companion with someone in the midst of their darkest days when just getting out of bed each day can be an overwhelming chore.
I work with people who are grieving the loss of a loved one from death….but also non-death losses such as those who have been diagnosed with a chronic or terminal illness, those suffering the loss of relationships, independence, career or loss of community from moving to a new area and those dealing with the loss of a beloved pet. I help people with anticipatory grief which is described as distressing thoughts one may feel days, months or years before a loss. This type of grief is often unrecognized and invalidated.
Life is full of transitions, many of them bring up feelings of grief. Often we end up feeling isolated, like the world is going on around us and we’re just standing still, questioning whether we’re going crazy or having a mental health issue because we’re experiencing feelings we’ve never felt before.
Sometimes people need someone to talk to who gets grief and who can validate what the process is like because it can feel so abnormal. When you’re ready, there is the peace of finding your purpose; searching for who you once were, creating who you are now.
What would it be like to integrate this loss into your life, to learn to live peaceably side by side with it? I can help.
Photograph by Melissa Barrick Creative Co.