At Anchored Hearts Counselling and Grief Therapy, we acknowledge that everyone experiences grief in different forms at various moments in life, whether it be grief related to a non-death loss and/or death loss.

We believe that it is important to have one’s grief acknowledged and validated in a safe space. With grief counselling as our specialty, it is our hope that we serve as a safe space for your heart to find an anchor to navigate the waves of grief.

The grief in non-death losses are valid even if they occurred in the absence of death, because the experience involves losing something that matters. Therapy provides a safe space for these losses to be acknowledged, processed, validated and integrated into your life story. You may have been impacted by one or more of these losses listed below. This list is not exhaustive. All these losses include a loss of an imagined or desired future. These primary losses have ripple effects of secondary losses which often include a loss of a sense of self, identity, confidence, innocence, meaning, trust, safety, time and relationships

Breakup of a romantic relationship or friendship, being cheated on, separation/divorce, estrangement from family members, abuse and neglect of all forms

Singleness and childlessness - this includes a loss of an imagined future, and a sense of isolation from peers of the similar age

Triggers

Places, sounds, sights, smells, dates

Spirituality, Dreams and Signs

Questions about what happens after death, questions about faith, God, shifts in beliefs, seeing them in dreams

Inability to have children due to singleness, fertility challenges or any reason which includes loss of dreams, financial loss, identity and relational shifts

Moving, inability to afford a home, loss of home and community either voluntarily or involuntarily (e.g. moving to another country/city, including as an immigrant, refugee, international student/worker, asylum seeker, etc.)

Loss of health (chronic pain, chronic illness, loss of vision/limb, cancer, life-limiting illness), loss of physical abilities, dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

Loss of properties due to natural disasters (flood, earthquake, tsunami), war and accidents (fire, etc).

Common topics in death loss grief therapy.

Many of these emotions and experience can also be common topics in non-death loss grief therapy.

Waves of emotions

Deep sadness, anger, envy, guilt, regret, relief, guilt for feeling relief or moments of joy, yearning

Secondary Losses

Grieving dreams, hoped for future and relationship you could never have if the relationship was complex

Relationships

Shifts in family relationships and friendships, loneliness, setting boundaries, returning to the workplace

Circumstances Around Death

Trauma, replaying death event, flashbacks, nightmares, anger at medical errors

Loss of loss or change of a job due to various reasons, unemployment, loss of financial security

Loss of family of origin due to adoption. This includes loss of country and culture of origin, loss of identity and the many other losses that come with adoption.

Meaning and Purpose

Shifts in values, feeling lost, empty and demotivated, unanswered questions, shifts in identity and roles

Relationship with Your Person

Stories and memories about them, complex and/or abusive relational dynamics, unfinished business, secrets that came out after death

Holidays and Special Dates

Rituals, triggers, honouring the connection with your person

Stressors around Logistics

Family conflicts, Finances, will, estate, navigating what to do with their belongings, selling their home

Grief isn't just losing someone. Grief is the loss of anything that matters.