Many people often seek out grief counselling because they are wanting to better understand what they are going through.

What we most commonly hear from counselling clients is their questioning of their experiences and reactions of grief, and if they are normal. We work to normalize this experience, and collaborate to find ways to work with the grief as is most meaningful.

Normal Grief – there is no one way of experiencing grief that is typical or average. Everyone experiences grief in their own way and with their own timeline. However you are experiencing your grief, it is important not to judge it, hurry it or slow it down. 

Anticipatory Grief – this is a grieving process that begins when someone you love or care about is expected to die, based on their illness and / or diagnosis. You may feel many conflicting emotions in this time as you continue to be with and support the person who is ill, while also preparing for them to pass.

Complicated Grief – these are grief reactions and emotions that begin to impede your day to day activities, and you feel it is taking longer than you would like to return to your regular routine. There are many ways to understand, accept and also decline the idea of complicated grief. Some would say that complicated grief can also be normal, others would say that grief becomes complicated when there are other mental health issues present such as anxiety and depression.

At Eagle Wellness we do not believe that grief is something that ends once you accept the loss, as is the case in commonly held understandings of grief psychology. Rather, our approach is based on narrative therapy, and re-membering practices, to support you to maintain a loving connection to your loved one, while finding ways to feel solace and comfort with the person you have lost. This is not the usual and expected approach to grief work, but clients do find it quite comforting and supportive.