Therapy for people who are overwhelmed by grief.
Integrated therapy for individuals, couples or small groups.
I am also facilitating these peer support groups in London Ontario.
Tickets are free and space is limited.
Here is the truth about grief: Loss gets integrated not overcome.
- Margaret Stroebe
Trusted by people struggling with grief across Ontario ★★★★★
My wife and I were fighting about my new job and I was already dealing with my father's death. John helped me figure out that, under stress, we sometimes fight about one thing when we are upset about something else.
I was to discover that it was a completely different issue: I had refused a traditional mourning (Avelut) for my father. I wasn't allowing my wife to processes her grief the only way she knew how.
Levi, Age 43
When my husband died suddenly and even though I had 7 children, I couldn't talk to them. I found John to turn to. He didn't tell me anything or judge me. He listened to intimate details that I needed to talk about. I had felt guilty about the most ordinary things and needed someone who could help me see that it wasn't my fault.
Today I still connect with John wherever I need him; like when I recently lost my job.
Elena
What You’ll Gain From Therapy
Making the loss tangibly real
Often people experience denial. They are in shock and feel numb. Therapy can offer a place to grasp the truth in its enormity. Therapists understand how denial works.
Processing the pain that grief brings.
Grief is pain. It can be an overwhelming emotion that comes with sadness, anger, guilt and anxiety. Therapy can help find a way to endure the pain rather than avoiding it. So you can live.
Adapting to a world without the loved one.
With death, comes a new environment. Sometimes it is just adjusting to living without someone. Sometimes there are secondary losses such as loss of a supporting income, housing, care assistance, even job loss. Therapy can help you navigate all the changes in your life regardless of how many..
Finding a healthy and enduring connection with the loved one.
You will never get over a major loss. Therapy can help you move from overwhelming sorrow when thinking of memories and rituals, gradually to bitter sweetness and eventually to a sense of that person being a part of you for the rest of your life.
We can also find moments of comfort in positive reminiscences of the lost loved one. These positive states do more than propel us out of sadness; they also reconnect us to those around us.
– George A. Bonanno
Common Challenges I Help With
📣 Being heard
People will share kind thoughts and really do have good intentions. Those words can often leave the person grieving feeling unheard and misunderstood.
→ My therapy is a place to be understood even around a complicated death.
🏔️ Being overwhelmed
A loss can leave you physically and emotionally exhausted. Extreme fatigue can set in and even lower your immunity.
→ I help you manage your grief so you can live more and focus on sorrow less.
𖡎 Clouded thinking
A loss can leave you unable to organize your thoughts or even tend to the smallest of everyday duties.
→ I help you find ways to manage tasks and eventually return to clarity of thought.
🚶♂️Loneliness and Isolation
Even when surrounded by people, many in grief feel disconnected. They can feel they don't want to be a burden. They can feel guilt and responsibility for the loss, and shame.
→ I help people in grief learn to feel more comfortable reaching out to people who love them and ask, specifically, for what they need.
🤜🤛 Relationship Challenges
When grieving other relationships can become strained, social, family and friends. It can add complications and anxiety at an already difficult time.
→ I help you identify sources of other conflicts and how your grief is affecting those around you so that you can adapt.
😡 Anger, volatility.
When you experience a loss of meaning in your life it is common to feel raw and become quick to anger.
→ Together, we will see how you can redefine yourself and what is important to you; finding things that mattered in the past and returning them to your life again.
About John
I work with clients who are finding it difficult to cope with a loss or major change in their life. Those coming for counselling often experience grief that is complicated or poorly understood by the people around them.
I practice Integrated Therapy which essentially means that, together, we decide what therapeutic approach will work best for you and your unique needs. If you feel an approach isn’t working for you, we can switch to something else.
I prefer in-person sessions, but can work by zoom if travel or access is problematic. I work with individuals and couples and can handle small groups.
My fee is on a sliding scale based on ability to pay.
I hold an HBSW degree from Lakehead University and a MSc. from Western University. I am a RSW and Psychotherapist registered with the OCSWSSW.
GOT QUESTIONS?
I've got anwers
That’s completely okay. Many people start without knowing what to expect. My job is to guide you through the process, help you feel comfortable, and move at a pace that feels right for you.
Yes. I offer secure, confidential online therapy so you can meet from the comfort of your own space — no commute, no hassle. Many clients find this just as effective as meeting in person.
Yes. Everything you share in therapy is kept private and confidential. The only exceptions are rare situations required by law — such as if there’s a risk of harm to yourself or others, or if a child, elder, or dependent adult is being abused. I’ll always explain these limits clearly so you understand exactly how your information is protected.
It depends on what you’re working through and what you hope to get out of therapy. Some people come for a few months to work on a specific issue, while others stay longer for deeper, ongoing work. We’ll check in regularly to make sure therapy is helping you move toward the change you want. If we can meet your goals in a few sessions, then that is all we will need.
What are you waiting for?
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OCSWSSW Registration: #862961
