Grief and Loss Counseling and Therapy Services in Boca Raton, Florida

Often times, adults will feel disorganized, fatigued, have trouble concentrating, and may even experience sleep and appetite disturbances. Adults may even experience a phenomenon called anticipatory grief, where they begin to mourn the loss of a loved one with a terminal illness, for example. This can make it difficult for the person to remain in the present while simultaneously holding on to, letting go of, and drawing closer to the dying relative. Grief counseling can help individuals move through the stages of grief and think creatively about how to handle these challenges.

Unlike adults who typically emote how this type of trauma has effected them, children may be sad one minute, and then seem completely fine the next. They experience what is called complex grieving. Children tend to move through stages of grief in a more haphazard way than adults and typically remain stuck in certain phases. PTSD is also common in children experiencing loss with symptoms such as avoidance of reminders of the deceased, emotional numbness, nightmares, irritability, and hopelessness. These children can become depressed if symptoms are not noted early. Grief counseling can help your child become “unstuck” and overcome the trauma of loss.