Not much. Truly. I often have clients who say that they were feeling intimidated by the idea of starting therapy, and chose virtual counselling as the best place to start. I agree.

I won’t be the first to tell you that our bodies and mind are better off with movement, and I won’t be the last either. Since years ago parents would encourage their kids outside to play and run and though exercise was not always as widely spoken about, the benefits have been highlighted for decades.

Sitting face to face is not the only way to do therapy. We aren’t created equal and we all bring something different with us, along with a different comfort level. My favorite way to work with clients is often through movement.

One of the biggest questions or concerns I hear as an Ontario counsellor focusing on grieving is, “Is this normal?”. Well, there is no normal, there is no one way, your way will look different than others and thank goodness. We aren’t robots. Our relationships are different, our supports, coping skills and resources, are all different too. 

Okay hear me out, were not mad that our spouses are always working. Perhaps were working off the farm and picking kids up from school, camp, or daycare and just trying to finish out the night with making supper, baths, bed etc. For others we have been in the tractor too, or covering chores, running meals, grabbing parts, and staying home with kids. All jobs that have to be done, but when one spouse is away from the home management or childcare tasks for a majority of the time

Ugh, your appointment time approaches and you’re wondering what you will wear, if you still have enough dry shampoo left in the bottle, and are already censoring the way you’re going to tell the story about your family conflict. But hey, what if you don’t have to?

I know what you’re hoping for. A phrase? A quote? Something that is going to make the grief go away. Hey! As I Grief Counsellor I wish for the same. The reality is there are helpful things you can say and things you might steer away from but nothing is going to land you in a spot of taking the grief away. Don’t let this stop you from supporting a person though, moving forward with grief is tough and knowing others are there for support might ease some of that pain.