Counselling for Grief and Loss - client-centred, emotion-focused work with somatic awareness

You may be carrying a quiet sadness, a heaviness that follows you, or a sense of something missing that you can’t quite name. Loss can appear in many forms - not only the death of a loved one, but also changes, transitions or unmet expectations. You might still be “getting by,” but life doesn’t feel like it used to.

I work from a client-centred, emotion-focused stance, paying close attention to what the body is telling us. For many people, grief lands physically: a tightness in the chest, a heaviness in the shoulders, a knot in the stomach or a lump in the throat. These sensations carry important information and when we explore them together, they can guide us toward what truly needs attention.

By noticing the small, habitual sensations that accompany grief and loss, we can begin to see how they connect to emotions and life events. Instead of feeling overwhelming or confusing, these sensations begin to make sense. Bringing the body into counselling works alongside talking therapies and can help people feel more held, calm the nervous system and build emotional resilience. I also support you in discovering gentle grounding and breath-based practices that are practical, soothing and uniquely yours.

Loss isn’t only about bereavement. It can also include:

• The person you expected to become

• A job or career that defined you

• The safety or stability of childhood

• A move that cost you community

• The version of parenting or life you imagined

When these losses remain unnamed, they can quietly shape mood, energy and how you move through life. Naming them in counselling is often the first softening - the first permission to feel what was never given space before. Part of our work is also noticing how you speak to yourself. Developing a kinder, more compassionate internal voice allows your feelings to be met rather than pushed away, creating space for understanding, acceptance, and gentle healing.

I work with people experiencing grief and loss across many different stages of life: new parents adjusting to identity changes; newly diagnosed neurodivergent adults who have learned to mask and feel exhausted; those navigating career or life transitions; people approaching or in retirement; people navigating divorce.

If this resonates, know that you don’t have to feel grief or loss alone. Counselling can provide a safe space to explore your emotions, tune into your body and uncover what lies beneath your sadness or sense of absence. Together, we can discover ways to calm the nervous system, understand your emotions and create space for healing. Taking the step to be heard, supported and guided is meaningful - it can help you reconnect with yourself and your life in a way that feels more grounded and manageable, allowing for gentle, lasting healing.