Family Loss

Death of a Family Member

Losing a family member (whether biological or chosen) can be one of the most painful and impactful life experiences. When someone close to you dies you may feel as if your anchor has been ripped away. Family relationships can be deep and complex and losing someone can bring out a lot of difficult feelings and impact surviving relationship dynamics. You may feel as if you have lost someone who understood you the best or who you could depend on the most. You may feel guilty for surviving or even blame yourself for the death. Maybe the death just seems really unfair or wrong. Working with a grief counsellor can help you to express your feelings, process what has happened, and find some balance and comfort.

Death of a Child

Whether you lose a child in youth or as an adult, the pain of this “out-of-order” loss can feel insurmountable. Maybe this is your worst nightmare come to life. You may feel a sense of responsibility for the death of your child and extreme feelings of guilt and shame. Perhaps you feel like a failure because there was nothing you could do to stop it from happening. Maybe the guilt of surviving your child has impacted your ability to function day-to-day. The pain may be deep and terrifying. Maybe you don’t know how to keep living or how to find meaning or joy in your life. Grief counselling can support you to grieve the loss of your child, honour their life and legacy, care for yourself and find ways to survive (and even, eventually, to thrive).

Death of a Friend

Losing a friend can have a deep and lasting effect on you. After all, friends are the family you choose. They are there to support you and bond over shared interests and experiences. They help get you through tough times and are there to celebrate your accomplishments. Sometimes they may even understand you better than your family. Losing a friend can really impact your sense of belonging and purpose, and make you question your life trajectory and choices. It may even force you to face your own mortality. Grief therapy can help you explore the impact of your friend’s death on you, learn ways to cope and find a way to keep on living with their absence.

Pregnancy and Perinatal Loss

The intimate physical nature of reproductive losses can have a devastating impact. You may blame yourself for what has happened. You may have gone through many ups and downs on your fertility journey and feel like a failure. For some, beyond the emotional pain, there may be lasting physical pain and trauma. The stigma surrounding these losses can also cause many people to suffer in silence or feel shame and judgement. Whether you have experienced a miscarriage, stillbirth, infertility, or chosen to have an abortion, you deserve to receive non-judgmental care. Grief counselling can provide a safe and supportive place for you to grieve your baby, your future, your hopes and dreams, and find a way forward.

Pet Loss

Losing a pet can be a very lonely experience because the impact is often misunderstood. You and your pet may have had a very close relationship. You may have spent a lot of time together and now you feel their absence deeply. For many, losing a pet can feel as painful as losing a person but you may feel pressure to minimize your grief. Often, decisions around medical care can be difficult and expensive. Perhaps you have regrets regarding their end-of-life. No matter the circumstance, you deserve to grieve your pet and find support. Accessing bereavement support can help you to express your grief, make sense of what happened, and to remember your pet with love.

Terminal Diagnosis

Living with a terminal illness is a life-altering and complex experience. On top of a wide range of physical and medical changes, there may be a lot of mental, spiritual, social, and emotional needs to consider and difficult choices to make. Whether you are living with a terminal diagnosis or you are supporting someone at end-of-life, there are many losses (big and small) along the way. At the same time as you are anticipating your own, or a loved one’s death, you may be trying to enjoy the time that is left. Learning to be in the present moment while grieving anticipated losses is a delicate dance. Families also may have to make difficult decisions related to Medical Assistance In Dying (MAiD) or Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) orders. It can be helpful to talk to a grief therapist about these losses so you can process your anticipatory grief, feel supported, and also plan for the future.