Tampa Grief Counseling & Therapy

Grief is a Trauma

The intense pain of grief will drop you to your knees. I will walk beside you through the yearning, loneliness, emptiness, isolation, confusion, and chaos. I will listen with my heart. I want to know your loved one, and I will honor your (and their) story.

Together, we will lovingly gather the pieces of your shattered world, and over time, create a new life that feels meaningful again. With processing, support, and time, grief becomes something you can live with.

Through grief counseling, I will help you learn how to have difficult conversations with friends and relatives, and find a sense of purpose so you can reconnect with your daily life. Grief shared is grief lessened, and I would be honored to hear the story of your loved one and become a part of your journey to healing.

The Importance of Grief Therapy

They call it "Grief Work" for a reason – it needs to be processed. As humans, we all need to talk about our pain. When we shove it down and try to outrun it by staying very busy, it just sits there and waits. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (Level II), and Certified Grief Informed Professional in Tampa, I will help you understand why your grief is so pervasive, and I will support you as you move through your own unique grieving process. You've heard about the stages of grief, like denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, but grief is not linear. Your experience is your own, and we will take that journey together. In addition to processing your grief by talking about your intense feelings of loss, we will focus on your personal life goals so you can start living your life again.

Coping with Grief

Grief due to a death, major loss, or significant life change can be a complex journey. It affects us in many ways, from our emotions and thoughts to our physical health. You are grieving the past, present, and future simultaneously, leading to a sense of isolation. Know that you are not alone. As a South Tampa Counselor and Therapist, I am here to help you heal the profound pain of grief.

When to Seek Grief Counseling

Any time is the right time to start grief counseling. When grief is persistent, it can become severely disabling. The term "unresolved grief" describes prolonged and intense grief that can lead to substantial physical and emotional impairment — as well as affect other parts of our lives such as work and social functioning.¹ Without grief therapy, unresolved grief can result in a range of physical and emotional symptoms.²

Grief can be Isolating

Grief can keep you from living the life you want. You can be minding your own business (say grocery shopping or working at the office), when a memory suddenly comes out of nowhere and sucker punches you. Sometimes the pain is so intense it can drop you to your knees. A lot of people are afraid this will happen in social situations, so they hide. Friends and relatives may not be a member of what I call "The Unfortunate Club," so they don't understand grief. They want to pat you on the head and make it all better with statements like, "he's in a better place now," or "at least she's no longer in pain." When this doesn't work, they become uncomfortable with the raw pain they can't understand and can't fix, so they often begin to avoid the bereaved.

Grieving a Loved One's Death

There is no greater pain a human can experience than the bereavement from losing a core loved one. It takes everything you have to process this grief because it is a restructuring of every memory and every thought, with the new knowledge your loved one is gone. Bereavement encompasses both a Primary loss (learning to live without the person) and Secondary losses (My husband took care of our finances and landscaping). The Primary loss is the death of your person and the empty echoes of the life you built together. Secondary losses are the associated voids left in your life and the roles your loved one filled.

There are Many Types of Grief

You may be feeling "Anticipatory Grief" before a loss occurs, or "Acute Grief" immediately after a loss. No matter where you currently are in the grieving process, I will help you move towards "Integrated Grief" where your satisfaction in life will return as grief's intensity fades.

You are not Alone

No matter what type of grief you are experiencing, it's important to know that you are not alone. I am here to help you navigate your unique journey, process your loss, and find ways to live a meaningful life again.