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As a licensed counselor and therapist in Santa Cruz, I work with people who are grieving.  Because I am particularly interested in working with grief, I completed a specialized grief counseling training.

How Can Counseling Help?
Grief counseling can help you more easily express and process your feelings and thoughts.  Even though it is still painful, I think that having someone else there can make it feel a little less painful.  Also, education about the grieving process is part of counseling, and people often find it comforting to know more about the process.  My overall goal is to support people and be with them, as they go through this process.

I use approaches that I think are compassionate, caring, and effective.

Even if it does not seem possible right now, you can feel better.

Stages of Grief
I work with people who have lost loved ones, people who are dealing with life-threatening illnesses, and people who are grieving for a variety of other reasons.  Even though grief is an inevitable life experience, most people do not know about the stages of grief or the process of grieving.

Losing a loved one or experiencing any type of grief can be a very difficult and confusing time.  Often, the first reaction is shock as we get used to this new reality.  Other reactions (or stages of grief) can be denial, anger, protest, bargaining, disorganization, feeling like everything is falling apart, grief, sadness, despair, depression, anxiety, guilt, reorganization, putting one’s life back together again, and/or acceptance.  Acceptance does not mean that you like the situation, just that you see the situation as it is and find a way to begin to enjoy life again.  There is no wrong way to grieve.  While the above description is a rough idea of what people experience, we do not move through these phases in a linear fashion, nor does everyone experience every phase.  Grieving is a process that often comes in waves, with each wave being a deeper level of healing and processing.

People with life-threatening illnesses often experience many of the feelings described above.  However, they are also dealing with possible medical procedures and decisions, as well as coming to terms with the possibility of dying.  People’s reactions can range from disbelief/denial to depression to anger to relief/freedom/feeling very alive for the first time.  There is no wrong way to respond.

Although we do not often talk about grief in everyday conversations, many people have experienced deep grief.  It may be helpful to remember that grief is a universal human experience that we have all felt to varying degrees.  This universal view of grief can be a way of feeling more connected to others, as opposed to feeling isolated in the grief.  If we see grief as a universal human experience, we are more likely to reach out to others and talk about our experiences.

704 Soquel Ave., Suite C
Santa Cruz, CA 95062

Please visit my home page for more information about me.  (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, MFC40414)

I offer a free phone consultation to give you a chance to ask questions, better understand how I work, and decide if we are a good fit.

To schedule an appointment or ask questions, you can call me at (831) 419-2019 or email me at stacy@stacyoleary.com.

704 Soquel Ave., Suite C, Santa Cruz, CA 95062  ~  (831) 419-2019  ~  stacy@stacyoleary.com

Home     Benefits of Therapy     My Approach to Therapy     Directions/Santa Cruz Office

© Stacy O’Leary 2007-2011

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Grief therapy and counseling in Santa Cruz, serving Soquel, Aptos, Capitola, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, and Santa Cruz / Santa Clara / Monterey Counties.  Helping children, teenagers, and adults with depression, anxiety, addiction, trauma, grief, and self-esteem.
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.