Giving you the time and space to unfold and heal.

What is Grief?

Grief is the deep feeling of pain that comes with loss. This can be the loss of a loved one who has passed, a pregnancy, a pet, a job, or the life you once knew.

Often grief can appear unbearable, never-ending, and with no solution to fix the “problem” of loss, especially when it is permanent. So often, grief can feel like it’s following you in every aspect of your life and prevents you from focusing or enjoying life.

Symptoms of Grief

If the loss is recent, feelings of grief are usually more potent and easier to identify. However, grief can be present weeks, months, or even years after the loss.

Common symptoms of grief include:

• emptiness
• despair
• relief accompanied with guilt and confusion
• questioning your religious beliefs
• feeling angry with God
• wondering about your purpose in life
• withdrawing from social activities
• decreased motivation to achieve in school/work or care for yourself
• not wanting to be comforted or feeling overly needy
• crying every day
• difficulty making decisions
• changes in appetite
• tense muscles
• sleeping too much or too little

How Does Therapy Help with Grief?

A therapist is specially trained to listen and talk with you about the painful emotions you are experiencing related to grief without judgment. While there may not be answers, a therapist holds space to release pent-up emotions, open your heart and let your mind come to terms with the loss. In this way, the heaviness of grief begins to soften over time, making way for a zest for life to return.

At Behavioral Health Alliance, we recognize there’s no timeline or clear path out of grief and that moving beyond grief is not a linear process.

Using the 5 Stages of Grief model, combined with talk therapy and other evidence-based therapy, we take special care to walk alongside you in your grief and provide you the space to unfold and heal.

Everyone will go through grief at some point in their lives, so we will help you talk with your friends and loved ones about how to better support you during this time.

While it’s possible to never “get over” the loss completely, memories are to be cherished. We are here to help keep your heart from closing down so that new experiences and people can put even the slightest smile on your face once again.