Grief & Loss

Recover From Loss With Grief Counseling

Bereavement Doesn’t Have to Lead to Isolation

Grief and loss are two of the most common shared human experiences, and the longer you live, the more often you will experience them. Grief and loss are unavoidable in life, and it’s important to feel supported and heard as you explore your feelings. Let All Thrive provides compassionate grief counseling services to children, teens, and adults who are feeling stuck and need help finding a path forward.

Remember: Finding a path forward doesn’t mean burying memories of your lost loved one. It simply means that you’re finding a way to live with the loss and to know that you’re going to be all right despite it. We’re here to help. Come thrive with us.

“No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.”

— Taylor Swift

Understanding Grief

Grief encompasses a range of complex feelings and behaviors that follow a loss. It’s often assumed that grief always and only arises from the loss of a person or pet who was near and dear to you. Grief certainly can arise after this type of loss, but you might also grieve anything that challenges your self-identity or disrupts your life. You might grieve for the following reasons:

It’s also possible to grieve for yourself after being diagnosed with a serious or life-threatening medical ailment.

There are different types of grief, and the feelings of grief take different shapes in various people. The second-most important thing to remember about grief is that everyone has a unique experience with it. The most important thing to know is that you can get through it and you don’t have to do it alone. Our grief counseling professionals are here to support you.

Types of Grief

There are many types of grief. Anticipatory grief, for example, is the feeling of grieving an impending loss, such as when a loved one is placed into hospice care. Often, someone experiencing anticipatory grief will begin to imagine what life might be like without their loved one. Other types of grief include:

Normal grief

This type is a misnomer, as there truly is no “normal” way to experience grief. The unfortunate name is intended to describe a limited period of time in which someone experiences intense feelings of loss, and then moves toward acceptance.

Traumatic grief

This can occur when someone loses a loved one in a sudden, unexpected, perhaps horrific way. It may be difficult to function as usual.

Chronic grief

Chronic grief persists over a long period of time. For some, the feelings of grief intensify, rather than diminish. Treatment is often essential to prevent complications, such as depression and thoughts of self-harm.

Are There Really Five Stages of Grief?

In 1969, psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross published her book, “On Death and Dying,” that describes five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and finally, acceptance. Kubler-Ross published her book after having worked with patients with terminal illnesses. Those five stages of grief were actually intended to describe the anticipatory grief that the patients themselves go through, but over time, they were applied to bereaved survivors.

Kubler-Ross’ work was important and helpful because it helped reduce the stigma of grief and encouraged people to seek grief counseling. However, the stages of grief were never intended to be rules by which everyone must grieve. Not everyone experiences all of these stages, and not everyone moves through them in a linear fashion. Post-1969, scientific evidence shows that grief is a highly individualized and varied experience, and everyone has their own unique journey through loss.

Finding Inner Peace With Grief Counseling

At Let All Thrive, grief counseling looks a little different for each of our clients who are struggling to cope with a loss. That’s because you’ll receive a personalized treatment plan developed in collaboration with your therapist after a careful assessment. Your grief counseling plan may include:

No matter your type of loss or what you’re experiencing, our grief counseling professionals are here to support you.

Contact Let All Thrive today to request an in-person or telehealth appointment with one of our counselors who specializes in depression and anxiety counseling. We’ll collaborate together on a path forward.