You’re tired of feeling empty.
There’s been a loss. Maybe it happened last week or last year. Regardless of when it happened, it still feels fresh. Almost as if it happened yesterday. You keep hearing that “time heals all wounds”, and you want to believe this. You desperately wish you could believe this. But no matter how much faith you put in time healing the wounds of loss, it almost always comes up short. Perhaps this loss was of a loved one, human or pet. Or, maybe the loss of a job. Perhaps the loss of what you thought your life would like. Luckily, you will no longer be dealing with grief alone. Working with a grief counselor can help.
Grief Counseling Can Help
Life after a loss can be extremely tough to navigate. Regardless of the loss, there’s often a lot of adjustments associated with it. Perhaps a change in daily routines or habits, or even a mindset. Dealing with grief can feel isolating and painful. Right now, it may seem like there isn’t hope. It may feel like you will be dealing with grief for the rest of your life. Our grief counselor gets it, and they can help.
Reactions to Grief
We’re all different, so we all respond differently to situations. Responding to grief is no different. As experienced grief counselors, we know that each person experiences different reactions to grief. With this in mind, here are some common reactions we’ve seen in grief counseling:
- Trouble sleeping
- Intense sadness that stays around longer than you think is necessary
- Feeling like you can’t move on
- Physical symptoms, like headaches, issues with digestion, tense muscles, etc.
- Inappropriate emotional reactions, like intense anger, when the situation doesn’t necessarily call for it
These are only a few common symptoms we’ve seen in grief counseling. To learn about other grief reactions, check out this article.
Stages of Grief
When we experience a significant loss of any kind, we go through the stages of grief. We all experience the stages of grief differently. In addition, we often spend a different amount of time in each stage.
Denial. This is the stage we typically experience first. In this stage, the loss doesn’t feel real and we’re not entirely convinced it happened.
Anger. We often feel varying levels of frustration or anger. Sometimes, we feel as though the world is ‘out to get us.’
Bargaining. This is when we try to haggle over the loss. We often think, “if I had done (insert action here that won’t change the outcome), then the person I lost would still be here.”
Depression. This is the time when we feel sadness, often at a high intensity. In addition, we often feel regret during this time.
Acceptance. This is the last stage of grief where we come to terms with the loss. Does this mean we have completely forgotten and moved on? Not necessarily. However, it does mean that we’re able to get through our daily life relatively okay.
Monday Courage’s Approach to Grief Counseling
Our grief counselors have years of experience working with folks dealing with loss. In addition, they’ve provided grief counseling to individuals that have experienced many different kinds of loss. Through grief counseling, they walk alongside you to help you manage your reactions to grief and give you the tools you need. Our grief counselors provide a supportive, judgment-free environment for you to explore how you’re dealing with loss and managing your grief. Through a collaborative working relationship, our grief counselors will help teach you the skills you need to successfully process the loss while still balancing all your responsibilities in your life.
Begin Grief Counseling in Lynchburg, VA
Regardless of the kind of loss, it can be hard to move on. Our grief counselors in our Virginia counseling clinic get it and they’re here to help. Through grief counseling, our grief counselors can help you process your loss and navigate life after loss. When you’re ready to begin your journey with grief counseling, follow these steps:
- Reach out to our client care coordinator.
- Get to know our team of grief counselors.
- Manage the loss, one day at a time.
Other Counseling Services Provided in Virginia
Grief counseling isn’t the only service we offer at Monday Courage. Currently, we are seeing all of our clients through online therapy in Virginia since our central Virginia based counseling clinic is closed. We offer treatment for ADD/ADHD and PTSD. In addition, we provide anxiety therapy, trauma therapy, counseling for college students, and depression counseling. In many sessions, we often incorporate mindfulness. We take a unique approach when working with men, women’s issues, and providing divorce recovery