“To everything there is a season:
a time to be born, a time to die; a time to laugh, a time to mourn.”
Grief is a natural response to the death of a loved one. During a period of bereavement, one slowly adjusts to loss, accepting the reality of death. But bereavement can be an intense emotional experience, with frequent mood changes, and a variety of other physical and emotional reactions. It is important for a grieving person to know that these kinds of responses, while painful, are a normal part of the healing process.
Comfort from family and friends is necessary during this vulnerable time; and often bereavement rituals provide valuable solace and comfort. Certainly Judaism has many useful and efficacious religious practices around death and mourning.
Nonetheless, sometimes people still have difficulty resolving the pain of mourning. In such times, supportive bereavement counseling is helpful to help cope with problematic personal and family situations. Bereavement counseling offers a nurturing environment for expressing and clarifying turbulent, unfamiliar emotions of grief, and for resolving and healing the pain of loss.
As a trained psychotherapist, I offer bereavement counseling services to individuals, couples and families, designed to provide support, guidance and a compassionate understanding of the grief process. I am also available to do in-house bereavement counseling with businesses, organizations and schools.
“Don’t make believe you’re not feeling it. Let the grief happen. You’ve got to allow yourself to get really lost in it. The minute you push it away, it clings longer. Go through it, and then develop a spaciousness around it, so that there is the grief and there is also that which is aware of the grief.”
–Ram Dass
Bereavement counseling consultation and ongoing sessions are
available via telephone, Skype, FaceTime or Zoom.