Grief is something most people would rather avoid. But inevitably, the emotional whirlwind of grief and bereavement is a process each of us goes through in our lifetime. Grief is about loss—a loss of any kind, whether it’s the death of a family member, pet, the end of a relationship,…
When I was a freshman in high school, I got the call I’d been dreading for 10 years. My best friend’s mother had passed away. She managed to beat breast cancer but mysterious complications ultimately took her life. Initially, I felt shocked. Then, I felt nothing. I was numb. I…
In the midst of tragedy — or an event that causes great suffering and distress — parents have the difficult job of talking to their children about it. While the topic should often be avoided with kids under 7 years of age who are too young to understand tragedy, it…
When we lose someone or something that we care about, grief may be waiting afterward. The grieving process is a natural part of life—a reaction to death, divorce, breakups, terminal disease, and more. The things that we turn our heads from eventually find a way back into our lives; but…
Child therapists know that children grieve differently from adults, and they also understand how a child’s unique grieving process might be overlooked in the midst of significant loss. Children who experience the death of someone close to them are often surrounded by adult suffering. They might not want to burden…
Divorce is common, but that doesn’t make it any easier to handle. Trying to process your own feelings while carrying on with day-to-day life can feel, at best, overwhelming, at worst, almost impossible. The complications that accompany divorce become far more intricate when there are children involved. Remember, no matter…
This is not a fun topic to write about. Parent-child breakups are painful for everyone involved: for the adult children who feel torn between filial duty and self-protection; for the toxic parents who can’t understand what they did wrong; and even for the children those parents once were, who were…
The first time a client came into my office, explaining that he was feeling depressed after his favorite hockey team lost the championship game, I thought he was exaggerating—that, or just being sarcastic. But he was serious. And over the course of the hour he explained his feelings of loss,…
I’ve been in survival mode for the past 6 months. It started with a swollen knee, regret that I ever played soccer, and the fear of possibly undergoing my first-ever surgery — but ultimately, the promise of an end to a bizarre chapter of my life. It quickly turned into…
This was supposed to be the year when we collectively recovered from our pandemic trauma, found greater happiness in the workplace, and renewed loving relationships with our friends, our family, and ourselves. Did it all happen the way we mapped it out last New Year’s Eve? Probably not. But based…
Nothing prepares us for the devastating loss of a loved one – whether it was clear that their time was coming to an end or it was a complete shock. The grief that comes with the death of a friend or family member is overwhelming. And it doesn’t go away…
They say that when you grieve, you deny the reality of the situation. This isn’t happening, this can’t be happening. You also feel extremely angry. You direct this anger at your loved ones, maybe even the person you’ve lost. How could you do this to me? How could you leave…