At Killian Counseling Services LLC, we know how difficult grief and loss can be. Our specialized counseling is here to help you manage the emotional, psychological, and spiritual challenges that come with major losses. Whether you’re grieving the death of a loved one or facing other significant life changes, our compassionate support is tailored to meet your needs.

 

Key Aspects of Grief and Loss Counseling

Emotional Support: Our grief and loss counseling provides a safe space for you to express your feelings, including sadness, anger, guilt, and confusion. We help you process these emotions in a healthy way.

Education and Normalization: Understanding the grieving process is key. We’ll guide you through the stages of grief and common reactions, helping you see that your feelings are a normal part of healing.

Exploration of Meaning: Grief can raise deep questions about life’s meaning. We support you in exploring these questions and finding purpose amidst your loss.

Coping Strategies: We provide you with effective strategies to manage your grief, including relaxation exercises, journaling, mindfulness, and engaging in meaningful activities.

Supporting Life Transitions: Loss often leads to significant life changes. We help you navigate these transitions and adapt to new roles and routines.

Facilitating Healing: Our goal is to support your healing process. We help you integrate your loss into your life story, find hope, and continue living meaningfully.

Types of Grief

Normal Grief: The natural response to loss, involving emotions like sadness and confusion. These feelings usually lessen over time as you adjust.

Anticipatory Grief: Experienced before a loss, often in cases of terminal illness. This type of grief allows you to start processing your emotions before the loss happens.

Complicated Grief: Also known as prolonged grief, this involves intense sorrow that interferes with daily life. It may include difficulty accepting the loss or moving forward.

Disenfranchised Grief: Occurs when a loss isn’t publicly acknowledged or validated, such as in cases of miscarriage or other stigmatized losses. This can complicate the grieving process.

Ambiguous Loss: Involves unclear or unresolved loss, such as a missing person or significant cognitive impairment, making it hard to fully process the grief.

Secondary Loss: Refers to additional losses that result from the primary loss, such as losing social connections, financial stability, or future plans after a loved one’s death.

Cumulative Grief: Happens when multiple losses occur in a short time, overwhelming your ability to cope and intensifying the grieving process.

Chronic Grief: Characterized by prolonged, intense mourning that interferes with daily life and doesn’t lessen over time.

We offer grief and loss counseling individually, in groups, or with families based on your needs. Our licensed therapists specialize in bereavement support and trauma-informed care.

Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning

We use William Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning to guide you through grief:

1. Accepting the Reality of the Loss: Confront the reality of the loss and the emotional impact it has.

2. Working Through the Pain of Grief: Express and understand the intense emotions of grief, such as sadness and guilt.

3. Adjusting to a World Without the Deceased: Adapt to changes in your life and identity without your loved one.

4. Finding an Enduring Connection with the Deceased While Embracing a New Life: Maintain a connection with the deceased while moving forward, preserving their memory and finding meaning in life.

These tasks are not always linear; you may move back and forth between them as you grieve. Our counseling provides a supportive environment for exploring your feelings and gradually adjusting to your new reality.

Support Through Your Grieving Journey

At Killian Counseling Services LLC, we offer compassionate support and practical tools for dealing with grief and loss. Whether you’re dealing with the death of a loved one or another significant change, our experienced counselors are here to help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation and begin your path to healing and hope.