Grief and Loss

We want you to know that you do not have to grieve alone. Therapists at CFCE are compassionate and well-trained in grief counseling. When we experience loss – death, divorce, illness, a job loss, or maturational losses (such as having children leave home, emerging adults leaving home for college, moving parents from their life-long home, or retirement from a life-long career), we are faced with vulnerability. Our ability to regulate our emotions depends on biological, psychological, and social factors – how do our bodies and brains respond to stress? What have we learned about loss at our developmental stage and what has society in general and our reference groups taught us to believe about loss? How we are co-regulated as children, what we learn about loss, and whether we view vulnerability as a strength, a challenge, or perhaps both, determines our grief response and our grief patterns.

Often, in grief, we rely on friends and family to support us. While it is incredibly important to have support systems, we also recognize that sometimes we need someone to talk with who is objective, trained in such matters, and someone with whom we can speak entirely freely. Therapists at CFCE take a non-pathologizing approach to loss, grief, and sadness. We want to listen to you, and hear you – and help. 

We understand that grief, whether it is validated in society or disenfranchised or ambiguous, cannot be bypassed. Loss of any type transforms our identity and deserves to be acknowledged and validated. We will bear witness to your unique pain and help you with meaning-making and continued bonds – acknowledge your loss orientation, and simultaneously support you with restoration orientation.