Grief looks different for everyone, and there's no single right way to move through it. Bereavement counselling gives you a steady, confidential place to bring the loss — whatever it looks like for you.
Grief doesn't move in a straight line, and it rarely looks like the five neat stages people expect. Some weeks it's quiet; others it arrives out of nowhere, triggered by something small. Counselling isn't about rushing you past it — it's about having somewhere steady to bring it as it comes.
I work with people grieving a wide range of losses: the death of a parent, partner, child, or friend; anticipatory grief while caring for someone dying; grief that feels complicated by how the relationship actually was; and losses that don't get much recognition from others, like a miscarriage or the ending of a long friendship.
People may avail of psychotherapy in relation to a recent bereavement, losses from the past, or a combination of both. You may be grieving someone you were very close to, or a relationship that involved difficulty, estrangement or frustration. Alternatively, you or someone close to you may be dealing with terminal or life-changing illness. You may have lost a job, a pregnancy or a friendship that others didn't see as a major loss. Many people notice that grief has made it hard to sleep, concentrate, work or be around others. Therapy can provide a place to feel, understand and begin processing your grief - whatever it is in relation to.
I see clients in person in Cork city, and online anywhere in Ireland, including Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Kerry. Online sessions suit people who find travel difficult, or who live away from where they grew up. Grief can feel especially hard if you live abroad or couldn't get home in time. Online sessions work wherever you are.
Grief shows up as sadness, anger, guilt, numbness, relief, or very little at all, and these can change from day to day. Counselling isn't about judging whether you're grieving correctly. It's about understanding what the loss means to you.
You set the pace. Some people start with how they're coping day to day, and come to the loss itself later.
No. Many people seek counselling years after a death, often when a later event brings it back.
They can overlap, but they aren't the same thing. If your low mood is severe or you're struggling to function, it may be worth speaking to your GP as well. We can talk about this in the first call.
Yes. What you say stays between us, apart from the usual limits where there is a serious risk of harm to you or someone else, which I will explain in more detail at the start of any work we do together.
Grief counselling Cork city, in person at Grand Parade and Victoria Cross, or online for anyone in Ireland — Dublin, Galway, Limerick and beyond.
