Grief and loss counseling helps people grieve difficult losses including the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship. It helps people navigate their grief process and eventually accept, understand, and move forward from their loss. Thriveworks grief therapists in Woodstock, GA have specific experience, training, and skills that enable them to best support grieving individuals.
If you have recently experienced an event like the death of a loved one, a breakup or divorce, the loss of a job, or another major life change, then you may want to seek grief and loss counseling. Grief can be caused by many experiences and events, so if you feel that you are having trouble moving on from a certain event or find that it is still impacting your life and functioning, grief and loss counseling can help you process it more effectively so that you can move on and once again find fulfillment and satisfaction in your life.
“Grief is not a disorder, a disease, or a sign of weakness. It is an emotional, physical and spiritual necessity, the price you pay for love. The only cure for grief is to grieve.” -Earl Grollman
All other pains pale in comparison to losing a loved one. Your emotions can feel like a volcano inside you always on the brink of exploding. On the other hand, maybe you feel empty, like a black hole that will never be filled.
Not all forms of grief are because of a death, although many are. The loss of anyone you held close can be life-alerting. As painful as it can be, the pain doesn’t have to last. Thriveworks Woodstock Grief and Loss Counseling is here to walk beside you as you heal from the pain, trauma, and loneliness.
What Is Grief and Loss Therapy?
Grief is actually a natural and healthy stage of healing. That doesn’t make it any less painful though. And what happens when it spins out of control? That’s when it gets dangerous, and when a Woodstock Grief and Loss counselor can be helpful.
Psychologists have broken apart grief into 5 key stages, although how you move through them is unique.
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
Thriveworks Woodstock understands the stages don’t paint a grieving person in a very nice light. But the truth is- it’s ok to be angry and slipping into a depressive funk does not mean you’re weak. Someone you loved is gone from your life forever- that hurts. Grieving is a way to remember them while forming a new way of life.
Great… so how do we do that? Getting “stuck” in a stage of grief is common. When you find you can’t move past a particular phase, you never get to the healing. Thriveworks Woodstock Loss counselors want you to be in a healthy place where you can look back and remember your loved one with a smile.
We do not want you to forget them or move on too quickly. Our goal is for you to have the healthy mental and emotional life you deserve, so you can honor their memory the best. A few strategies we use to help you get there include:
- Art and music therapy
- Exercise therapy
- Adapting to a new role
- Managing changes in behavior or schedule
- Developing new relationships or rekindling old ones with friends and family
- Cultivating a new way of life if necessary
- Talk therapy
Thriveworks Woodstock is a client-centered practice. That means we respect and prioritize your ideas and thoughts. Every session will be uniquely engineered to who you are!
Do I Need Grief Therapy?
No matter how healthy you are or how quickly you progress through the stages of grief, losing someone will still hurt. So how do you know when the hurt is abnormal? When do you make that call to schedule a counseling appointment?
There’s no easy way to tell. Thriveworks Woodstock counselors are here to address any problem- there is never a too big or too small concern. If you aren’t happy with your life (any part of it), it’s worth getting some professional guidance! We will walk with you to a place you are happy with.
Some signs that might point you in the right direction include:
- Suicidal Thoughts
- Depression
- Less joy in people and activities
- A small or weak support system
- Pushing away friends and family
- Hesitancy or fear in pursuing new relationships
- Numbness of emotion
- Constantly going from one thing to the next to stay distracted
- Sudden changes in behavior (like anger, sleep or eating patterns)
- Inability to move on
Admitting you could use some help and asking for it is frightening and difficult. Thank you for having the strength and courage to do so. Thriveworks Woodstock Grief and Loss Therapy is excited to begin the journey of healing and health together.
