Grief Counseling

Just as man cannot live without dreams, he cannot live without hope. – Elie Wiesel

Losing someone hurts. It feels like a piece of you left with them. That person you shared pieces of your life with is no longer here. You may miss them so much it physically hurts. Maybe you feel so many things at once you can’t decide if you should shove your emotions to the side, or scream and cry. Maybe you are numb and feel nothing at all.

We All Grieve

All of these feelings are normal when someone you love dies. In fact, there are countless other ways you may be experiencing grief. Here are common ways people experience grief:

• Having trouble experiencing joy
• Being preoccupied with the loss, or thoughts of the deceased
• Feeling detached or numb
• Being irritable or bitter
• Physical feelings of soreness
• Fatigue
• Headaches
• Digestive problems

A Counselor Can Walk With You Through Grief

We live in a world where death and loss are not often talked about. No matter who you have lost or what you are feeling, talking to someone can help. You deserve to be heard and to find meaning and transformation. A therapist can walk with you on this journey. Through counseling you can find the strength to face your grief and honor your past while discovering meaning and purpose in your future. Below you’ll find some resources that we hope will help you as you rediscover your new normal. If you’d like a partner on your journey through grief, contact us today.

Counseling Can Help You in the Face of Loss

Love and grief are strands of the same rope, winding and binding together our lives as we move forward. We do not “move on” from grief, we move forward with life changed from the loss of a person we cared for.

Death and loss change us in ways we cannot understand until it is been experienced. And even when you experience a death, you may need someone to walk with you and help you understand the messy emotions.

The thing about grief is that everyone goes through it in a different way. Often the people you usually turn to for support in emotional situations are also grieving that same loss and cannot offer the outside perspective you need. We often hear that people appreciate speaking to a therapist about their loss, because we’re not in the midst of our emotions about the loss.

A therapist can listen to your experience.  We can help you explore what is “normal” or expected with loss and bereavement.  Maybe you need help finding ways to honor your loved one and to still feel connected.  On the other hand, you may be looking for specific ways to begin slowly creating a new normal in your life.  Coping skills to help you begin to re-engage in the tasks of daily living.  We’re here for whatever you need.  Even if you aren’t sure what that is yet, a skilled grief counselor can help you uncover what will bring you comfort and strength right now.

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Tips for Coping With Loss

The truth is that everyone copes with loss differently.  There is no right or wrong.  To get started, you can click below to download three very basic tips for coping with your grief.  The truth is that the best thing to do is gather ideas and try to find your own mix between honoring the memory of your loved one and beginning to find hope again and create a new normal.

[Click Here]

Moving Forward

No amount of counseling or therapy can bring back a death or loss. But here is what you can expect from grief therapy:

• Honor, respect, and validation for the past
• Adapting to the present
• Reconstructing identity
• Redefining the future
• Exploring meaning in relationships, life, and values
• Discovering the new relationship with your loved one

Grief Resources

1. One online resource others have found helpful is The Grief Toolbox.
2. The Legacies From the Living Room blog is written by a local professor & widow who lost her husband to head and neck cancer and talks about how cancer changed her life and how she has rebuilt since his death.
3. The Widow’s Wallet is a website for a local life coach who specializes in working with Widows.  She’s also been a finance teacher for years so she has great information not only about grief, loss and life but also about finances.

Blog Posts About Grief

• Relationships Never Die: Keeping Bonds Strong Through Loss
• How Grief Can Change Your Relationships
• 5 Things to Say to Someone Who is Grieving
• Navigating Grief with Young Children
• How to Heal After Loss
• Coping with Grief through Meditation
• Grieving the loss of a dream
• When Will I Feel Better?
• Grieving a loss that wasn’t a death
• Grieving the Death of a Child
• Coping with Grief at Work
• Are the 5 Stages of Grief Real?

When someone you care for dies, it can feel confusing and your feelings about death, life, love and so many other things will change as you go through each stage of grief. We will continue to publish new blog posts related to doing with the death of a loved one, so check back often to continue learning more as you find ways to remember your loved one and find renewed meaning.

Call Today to Begin Grief Counseling

The more you love someone, the more deeply you will grieve for them. You do not “move on” or “get over it” when someone close to you dies. You move forward. Grief counseling can help.

We offer Grief Counseling at our Columbia, MO counseling office or online if you live anywhere in the state of Missouri. If you would like to have someone to speak to about your grief and a partner in your grief journey, please contact us to get matched with one of our caring therapists. We have clinicians who specialize in grief counseling and can walk beside you on your journey through grief.

How do I start?

The hardest step is just reaching out.  But if you’ve read this far, it’s time.  You deserve support from someone removed from the loss who understands grief and who’s focus is completely on helping you.  Here are the steps:

1. Contact Aspire Counseling
2. Set up a consultation appointment with one of our therapists
3. Begin finding moving through the fog of grief and finding balance & hope again.

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