Overcoming Grief

Overcoming Grief

Grief is a natural emotion, which involves feelings of sadness, sorrow, or distress following a significant loss. While this loss often takes the form of the death of a loved one, it can also include other changes, such as the loss of a job or the loss of a relationship. As such, grief is a very common experience that nearly everyone has to navigate at some point in their life. While there is no right or wrong way to grieve, some individuals may become very distressed or experience grief over a long period of time, and seek therapy to help them process and adjust to their loss.

CBC clinicians work with clients to identify individual goals for how to respond to the grieving process. This may include learning to experience rather than avoid feelings of sadness and memories associated with loss, as well as practicing strategies for tolerating these painful emotions. It might also mean finding meaningful ways to honor the memory of a loved one, and learning to accept life changes that have led to the experience of grief. It is therefore up to the client whether the primary goal of treatment is to decrease suffering, increase meaning and acceptance, or a combination of both targets. CBC clinicians also work to maintain open communication regarding treatment progress and goals, thereby allowing the focus of treatment to shift as the client’s experience of grief changes over time.