Grief is a healthy and natural reaction to a significant loss in a person’s life. It is both an intellectual and emotional process in which the individual is trying to establish a sense of self in both the physical and psychological sense. Grieving is not forgetting. Nor is it drowning in tears. Healthy grieving results in an ability to remember the importance of our loss with a newfound sense of peace, rather than pain. It helps us come to terms with and adjust our lives after a significant loss.

Most people associate grief with loss due to death. However, people can grieve for a number of different reasons such as infertility, miscarriage or stillbirth, developmental disorders, transitions due to job loss, moving, financial problems, divorce or separation. Everyone’s experience of grief and loss is unique.

Though grief is important and leads to emotional healing, it can be a prolonged and intensely painful experience, and can result in significant emotional distress. The grief reaction may last for months or years. Our counsellors are aware of the many different normal responses to loss and can help you to work through the stages of grief in a supportive relationship.