No matter what our medical model or general culture believes, grief is healthy.

-- Franz Schubert --

There is no grief like the grief that does not speak.

-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow --

The work of the artist is to express what is repressed or even to speak the unspoken grief of society.

-- Franz Schubert --

You didn't need to learn something that only disaster could teach.

-- Megan Devine --

The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to.

-- Elizabeth Kubler-Ross --

Encouragement to look towards the future only ignores the pain you are in right now.

-- Megan Devine--

Grief is not an obstacle. Never let anyone convince you there's something wrong with your grief.

-- Tim Lawrence --

Grief is a sane response to the physical loss of someone, or something you love.

-- Megan Devine --

Perhaps one day we'll be more shocked when a heartbroken soul isn't expressing their grief than when they are.

-- Tim Lawrence --

“Grieving people want and need to be heard, not fixed”

-- Grief Recovery Method --

“When people say that time heals all wounds, they forget that all wounds are meant to be healed. Some wounds are merely held, caressed, acknowledged and wept for. There is nothing wrong with this”

-- Tim Lawrence--

“You want me to get over my loss? Actually it would make more sense for you to get over your need for me to get over my loss”

-- Tim Lawrence --

“We must grieve our unmet hopes, dreams and expectations"

-- Grief Recovery Method --

“We want them to stand beside us, not trying to fix what cannot be fixed, not trying to rush us out of our grief. We want them to stand there, without flinching, and acknowledge what is true: this hurts. This hurts. I’m here”

-- Megan Devine --

“Always defend your right to heal at your own pace. You are taking your time. You are allowed to take your time”

-- Rebecca Baldwin --

Healing the Loss

Navigating your way through...

Grief and Loss Support

I offer my support to you through my knowledge and my own experiences. I hold space for you in your experience of loss in a nonjudgemental, compassionate way. I offer a place (in person or online) to authentically share your grief with someone who has been down that road many times and who understands loss, and who can offer tools to navigate through the worst of times and the going forward. It is my honour and privilege to do so.


Our society does not handle grief very well.


There is an abundance of restrictions put on us about how to grieve. So many well-meaning people may say the most hurtful things…often starting with the words “at least”.
There are many types of loss. Death and divorce are the most obvious; however, grief is in no way limited to those.

For example:

 

  • long term illness in yourself or a loved one
  • the end of a romance
  • the death of a beloved pet
  • job loss
  • moving
  • empty nest
  • financial changes
  • retirement
  • loss of trust
  • betrayal
  • a loved one's addiction
  • loss of addiction
  • experiencing natural disasters
  • even unmet hopes, dreams, and expectations cause a deep feeling of grief and loss

 

Within your occupation, you may be dealing with grief and loss in some way.

For example :

 

  • hospital
  • hospice
  • long term care
  • nursing homes
  • personal care
  • funeral work
  • veterinary assistants
  • teachers
  • hairdressers

 

The list is long, in these professions, you have all been in the presence of people who are grieving and are grieving themselves.

Caring and supporting the caregivers is so very important.


Grief is defined as “the normal and natural reaction to loss of any kind. It is conflicting feelings caused by the end of or change in a familiar pattern of behavior”.

Every individual’s loss is different, valid, and important to them. It does not serve to compare losses or feel that your loss is not as significant as someone else’s. It takes courage to take the steps to heal…to identify and work through your loss in a safe, compassionate, and validating environment.

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Grief Navigation Tools

Together we may decide to use this tool alongside grief and loss support.


 ***The Grief Recovery Method is a very effective evidence-based program. It helps with sorting out the things that are no longer serving us in our lives going forward. It helps with all the unheard and unacknowledged past grief events in our lives.


Recovery is a confusing word and can make people pause because we know that we carry our losses and grow around them, we incorporate and absorb our losses we don't "recover". The pain shifts and changes as does our ability to carry it. I prefer to think of it as grief discovery. All the unheard and unacknowledged losses in our lives are holding a narrative around our present loss and perhaps not serving us in the best way.***

 

 Grief Recovery Method® 7-Session One-on-One Program In person or Online


An individual approach to Grief Recovery® allows you to work through your grief at your own pace. Because everyone grieves differently, you may require more than 7 sessions to complete your relationship to the pain, isolation, and loneliness caused by the loss.

You are asked to commit to 7 sessions minimum to effectively complete the program and allow sufficient time to benefit from the emotional work you will be doing.
The text that is used to guide you to recovery is The Grief Recovery Handbook - 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition - The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death, Divorce, and Other Losses by John W. James and Russell Friedman. The text will be provided to you upon a commitment to the program.


Grief Recovery Method® 8-Week Grief Support Group In Person or Online

 

A group approach to Grief Recovery® allows you the opportunity to connect with others who have also experienced significant emotional losses in their lives and are ready to take action to heal their hearts.

The groups are not a drop-in style format. You are asked to commit to the 8-week program as weekly attendance is vital for maximum benefit in the healing process.

The text that is used to guide you to recovery is The Grief Recovery Handbook - 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition - The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death, Divorce, and Other Losses by John W. James and Russell Friedman. The text will be provided to you upon commitment to the program.


Helping Children with Loss 4-week Program In Person or Online


The vast majority of parents find themselves at a loss when trying to help their children deal with any grieving experience that impacts them. This 4-week program is designed to teach parents, and others who work with children, the necessary tools to help children effectively deal with their broken hearts, no matter the loss they are facing. The groups are not a drop-in format as every session builds on the previous one.


What am I investing in?
With over 35 years in existence, The Grief Recovery Institute® has helped hundreds of thousands of people across the world heal from significant emotional loss. The Grief Recovery Method® is a tried, tested, and evidenced-based way in which to acknowledge and become complete with losses of any kind.


What is unique about The Grief Recovery Method®?

Grief support groups provide a safe and non-judgmental environment for you to verbalize the thoughts and feelings you experience following a loss. While there is an absolute benefit to that kind of expression, it may not be enough. Talking about how you feel often does not complete the unfinished emotional business that is attached to your loss. The Grief Recovery Method® Programs are designed to guide you through a series of actions to not only verbalize your feelings but to also help you complete the pain associated with those feelings. It is not time that heals our wounds, it is the actions we take within time that does. This action-oriented program requires total honesty and commitment.



Our sessions can be conducted in person or via online video. Please do not let distance be a factor for getting support.

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