Living Losses
Therapy for pet parents grieving non-death losses.
Based in West Vancouver. Serving clients throughout British Columbia.
Both in-person and virtual counselling options are available.
Grief doesn't only follow a death. Sometimes what has been lost is simply what used to be.
For pet parents, living loss can take many forms. It may come with an animal's ageing and changing abilities, having to rehome or surrender an animal, or losing some or all contact with them following a separation or divorce. Life continues, even though something important within it has changed.
These experiences are sometimes called living losses or non-death losses. They can be difficult to recognize as grief, both for ourselves and for the people around us, even when their impact on us is significant.
How Therapy Can Help
Living losses often don't have a clear ending or resolution. Therapy can offer a place to understand what has been lost, including the parts that may be difficult to explain to other people.
Our work together may include:
Putting words to losses that have been difficult to name or acknowledge
Working with guilt and questions about decisions that cannot be undone
Finding a way to live with circumstances you may not be able to change or resolve
Making sense of conflicting feelings about what has changed or the circumstances that led to the loss
If you're coping with a living loss, I invite you to book a complimentary consultation.