Grief Archives - Blossom Counseling

The Truth About Closure: Why It’s More Complex Than You Think

Closure is one of those concepts we hear about all the time—often in the context of relationships, loss, or life’s messy transitions. The idea sounds comforting, almost like a magic trick: tie up the loose ends, process the experience, and voilà, you’re free to move on. But let’s be real—closure is rarely that simple, and […]

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Attachment, Challenges, College/Students, Couples, Family, Grief, Parenting, Relationships

Understanding the Many Faces of Loss: Grieving Beyond Death

Loss is a universal human experience, but when we think of grief, our minds often go straight to the loss of a loved one. While mourning the death of someone we care about is undoubtedly profound, it’s important to recognize that grief extends far beyond the boundaries of death. There are many types of losses

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Grief

Understanding Why Grievers Tend to Isolate and How to Support Them

Grief is a deeply personal experience, often defying simple explanations or predictable patterns. One of the more perplexing aspects of grief is the way it can lead people to withdraw from others, even from those they love and trust most. If you’ve ever watched a grieving friend or family member pull back and retreat into

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Friends, Grief, How To, Relationships

How to Move Through Grief

The silent struggle. The club that no one wants to join. One that feels isolating and lonely despite the fact that everyone will experience it at some point in time. Grief… it’s such a heavy word. And its process is so individualized that it’s understandable how those feelings of isolation and loneliness can arise. Everyone

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Depression, Grief, How To

How Play Therapy Helps Teens Thrive

Getting teens to talk can be hard work! Talking about problems directly can seem scary, confusing, or embarrassing. A lot of teens hate the idea of talking to adults, and this may leave them (and their parents) feeling like therapy may not be the best way to help. Boy, do we have news for you!

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Anxiety, Depression, Grief, Stress, Teens, Therapy, Treatments

Am I Ready for Therapy? When the Answer is Yes!

The decision to come to therapy can be scary – scary AF, to be honest. It can be difficult to know what to expect, where to start, and whether you’re at a spot in your life where you would truly benefit from attending sessions. Most of us initially feel uncertain when we have the idea

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Anxiety, Children, Couples, Depression, Family, Getting Started, Grief, Parenting, Stress, Teens, Therapy, Wellness

Honoring Your Grief: How to Navigate Loss with Compassion

Grief can be one of the most complex emotions we experience, and yet it’s something we all face at some point. Whether it’s the loss of a loved one, a relationship, or even a life change like moving to a new city, grief has a way of sneaking up on us and staying longer than

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Compassion, Emotions, Grief, How To

Support a Grieving Friend: Compassionate Conversations

How to Support a Grieving Friend: A Guide to Compassionate Conversations

Grief is one of the most personal and challenging experiences a person can face. When someone you care about is grieving, it’s natural to feel unsure about what to say or do. You might worry about saying the wrong thing, making them feel worse, or even avoiding them altogether because you don’t know how to

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Communication, Connection, Friends, Grief, Guides

Navigating the Silent Sorrow: Understanding Perinatal Loss and Grief

Perinatal loss, encompassing miscarriage, stillbirth, and the loss of a newborn, remains one of the most profound yet least discussed heartbreaks a parent can face. This type of loss carries a unique kind of grief, often shrouded in silence, as many outside the experience struggle to comprehend the depth of the emotional turmoil involved. The

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Family, Grief, Parenting, Trauma, Women

Coping with Pet Loss: Embracing the Waves of Grief and Finding Comfort

Losing a pet is not just losing an animal; it’s saying goodbye to a friend, a family member, and a source of unconditional love and joy. If you’ve ever had to go through this, you know that the pain is real and deep. It’s a type of grief that can catch you off guard with

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Coping Skills, Grief

Forgiving Your Parents

Forgiveness is one of the most powerful tools we have as human beings. It allows us to let go of the pain and suffering caused by others and move forward with our lives. However, forgiving those who have hurt us deeply can be a difficult and complicated process. When it comes to our parents, forgiving

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College/Students, Family, Grief, How To, Parenting, Relationships

How Grief Affects the Brain

Grief is a complex emotional experience that arises from the loss of someone or something that is significant to us. It is a natural response that can affect people in different ways. For some, the grieving process can be relatively quick, while for others, it can be a long and arduous journey. Regardless of the

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Grief

How to Respond to Negative Self-Talk

Negative self-talk is so much more common than most of us tend to realize! Basically, negative self-talk is a clinical term we use to describe and identify the negative things that we say and think to ourselves. Some common examples include: “Wow, I guess I just can’t do anything right” “Why isn’t my life as

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Anxiety, Children, College/Students, Couples, Depression, Family, Grief, How To, OCD, Parenting, Stress, Teens

Supporting Each Other When Your Child Has a Mental Illness

Your child has been diagnosed with a serious mental illness. After months and years of trying to understand why traditional parenting methods have not been successful, you are beginning to understand why. Remember, mental illnesses often have a biological component. They are not the result of bad parenting, and they probably couldn’t have been prevented

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Anxiety, Children, Couples, Depression, Family, Grief, How To, OCD, Parenting, Stress, Teens

8 Ways Your Furry Friend Boosts Your Mental Health

The role that our furry friends play in our daily lives is significant. As a mental health clinician, I find myself speaking about my clients pets quite often. When I reflect on the frequency of conversations regarding our pets and the positive effect on one’s mental health in my practice, it makes complete sense to

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Animal-Assisted, Anxiety, Children, College/Students, Depression, Grief, OCD, Stress, Teens, Therapy, Treatments, Wellness