Grief & Loss Counselling
Grief touches life in many ways. It may arrive after the death of someone you love, or emerge through other forms of loss such as changes in health, identity, relationships, roles, or life direction.
This may also include experiences such as pregnancy loss, abortion, sudden or traumatic loss, and other forms of reproductive grief.
Sometimes grief is recent and raw. Other times, it has been quietly carried for years.
There is no timeline for when grief should arrive, how it should look, or when it should soften.
In grief and loss counselling, I offer a steady and compassionate space where your experience is welcomed as it is.
This is a place where we walk alongside each other, paying attention to what your grief is asking for, rather than trying to move it along or make it fit a particular shape.
Sessions are available in person in Victoria and online across British Columbia.
Grief is deeply personal
Some people feel waves of sadness or longing. Others notice anger, numbness, guilt, relief, or a quiet sense of disorientation that is hard to name.
These experiences often shift without warning, which can feel unsettling or isolating.
Many people wonder whether what they are feeling is “normal,” or feel pressure from others or from themselves to grieve differently.
Here, there is no expectation to grieve well, quickly, or positively.
Your grief belongs to you.
Understanding Your Grief
Grief Can
Feel Unfamiliar
Grief is a natural response to loss, yet it can feel anything but natural when you are in the midst of it.
It may show up physically, emotionally, relationally, or in how you understand yourself and the world. At times, this can feel confusing or disorienting, especially when the waves of grief feel large and overwhelming.
Some people notice changes in sleep, appetite, or concentration. Others describe a persistent ache, moments of deep longing, or a sense that life no longer feels the way it once did.
Grief is Shaped
by Context
Cultural and societal messages, family (or your own) expectations, and past experiences often shape how you come to experience grief.
You may have learned to stay strong, stay busy, or pretend everything is fine when it is not. Over time, this can leave little room for your own experience.
Grief counselling offers space to gently notice these patterns, and to come back to your own experience, in your own way and time.
Grief
Does Not Follow
a Straight Line
Grief often resurfaces around anniversaries, holidays, life transitions, or unexpected reminders.
Even years later, moments of grief can return, sometimes when you thought you were moving forward. This does not mean you are going backward. It means you are continuing to carry your loss and finding ways to live alongside it in your life.
Over time, some people notice a shift, not in the presence of grief, but in how it comes to be part of your life.
How Counselling Can Support You
Grief counselling is not about fixing grief or finding a way around it. Instead, it is about creating space for your experience to be seen, spoken, and held with respect. Our work is collaborative. You set the pace, and we remain attentive to what feels most important to you.
In sessions, we may explore the emotions you are carrying, whether that includes sorrow, anger, regret, love, relief, or feelings that do not yet have clear language. We can look gently at how grief is showing up in your daily life and relationships, and how it may be affecting your sense of identity or direction.
Loss often reshapes how we understand ourselves and the future we imagined. Questions about meaning, belonging, or who you are becoming are welcome here. For some, grief is shaped by sudden or traumatic loss. For others, it connects to ongoing or ambiguous experiences of loss. Counselling offers a place to explore these layers without pressure to arrive at answers.
My approach is grounded in compassion, collaboration, and respect for your lived experience. We move together, adjusting as needed, and making room for both what hurts and what sustains you.
What To Expect in Sessions
A Calm and Supportive Space
Sessions offer a calm and respectful space where your story is met with care.
We move at a pace that feels right for you. There is no expectation to share more than you are ready to, and silence is always welcome.
Led by What
You Are Carrying
Our conversations are guided by what feels most present for you.
Some sessions may focus on emotions or memories connected to your loss. Others may explore how grief is showing up in your relationships, your work, or your sense of self.
At times, we may simply sit with what feels heavy, without trying to change or resolve it.
Honouring
Your Loss While Continuing
to Live
Grief does not disappear, but it can become something you carry differently over time.
Counselling offers a place to walk alongside that process, one step at a time, while honouring both your loss and your capacity to keep living.
When you’re ready,
I’m here to support you.
