Grief is a normal, though often deeply painful response to a life changing event. The grieving process is often associated as something experienced after death, but other significant life changes can also involve feelings of loss, and therefore grief. Grief can occur anytime something of importance is taken away.

The grieving process can trigger a variety of intense and confusing emotions and behaviors. This process can sometimes be very overwhelming and can interfere with a person’s ability to function in their daily life.

Grief counseling can normalize intense feelings and help a person understand the grieving process as a highly individual journey. There is no right or wrong way to grieve. Just as a person’s life is unique, so too is his or her grief experience. Many factors contribute to a person’s grief reactions. Some of them include:

Maryclare Baird’s clinical training in grief and loss allows her to help people work through life events such as deaths, the end of a relationship or divorce, loss of health, loss of a job, empty nest and other significant life transitions. Grief counseling provides comfort and a safe place to share feelings of sadness without judgment. It offers the chance to explore, grow and ultimately heal.