GRIEF & BEREAVEMENT COUNSELLING

As a psychotherapist and counsellor in Edinburgh, I regularly treat issues relating to grief and bereavement. Grief is a complex and painful response to loss, which everybody experiences to varying degrees throughout their lives.  Mostly, it is associated with the death of someone to whom we are close but it can occur because of many kinds of change including losing health, the loss of a relationship, change of career, moving house or new living environments, or in becoming a parent. Each loss asks us to adapt to life without something that mattered.  Grief isn’t about forgetting; it’s about finding a way to live while holding on to what remains. A grief process is multifaceted; unpredictable, isolating, overwhelming, necessary, debilitating, comforting, painful, cathartic, primitive, all-encompassing.

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Are you experiencing any of the following:

 

• Shock and Numbness: An initial response that may feel like being in a fog or as if the loss isn’t real.

• Loneliness: Feeling isolated, even when surrounded by others.

• Relief: A sense of release, particularly if the person endured a long illness or the relationship was challenging.

• Loss of Purpose: Questioning identity or life’s meaning after a significant loss.

• Intense Sadness: A common emotion that often comes in waves and may include frequent crying.

• Anger: Feeling upset about the unfairness of the loss, toward the person who died, others, or even yourself.

• Guilt and Self-Blame: Reflecting on what you did or didn’t do, or feeling guilty for any sense of relief if the person had been suffering.

• Anxiety and Fear: Experiencing insecurity, heightened awareness of mortality, or worry about losing other loved ones.

• Confusion and Disbelief: Trouble focusing, forgetfulness, mental fog, and difficulty making decisions.

• Yearning and Longing: Deeply missing the person, sometimes leading to behaviours like looking for them, calling their name or dreaming about them.

 

 

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MY EXPERTISE AND HOW PSYCHOTHERAPY CAN ASSIST WITH GRIEF AND BEREAVEMENT

 

THERAPIES & METHODS​

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Person Centred  |  Working collaboratively in the present, trusting in and acting from your unique needs, preferences and perspectives.

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Emotional Processing  |   Being with you, where you are

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Psychosomatic Awareness  |  Regulation tools to unify the body with the mind and process difficult emotions: develop self-awareness, create physiologic change

 

Existential  |  Exploration to establish meaning, purpose and value systems in life and relationships​

 

Psychoeducation | Develop understanding in your psychological state, clarifying ways to cope and thrive

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Psychodynamic |  Examine the past to understand how it effects present beliefs and behaviour​

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Creative Arts |  Integrate artistic mediums to further articulate and process emotional states 

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Attachment Theory |  Understand how early relationships shape current relational patterns

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Solution Focused  |  Draw on established character strength, resource and ability as a way to set goals to move forward and work towards

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Cognitive Behavioural  |  Challenge dysfunctional thought processes to reconstruct cognitive patterns, regulate emotion and improve coping strategies

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To discover more about psychotherapy, how we can work together and for any questions you have, please contact me ​​​​​​

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