Grief & Loss

As September 11 approaches, many Americans brace for impact. After 20 years, we have come to expect the grief, the sadness, the fear, the anger. Or, even an overwhelm of all of these emotions at once. For some—especially those who lost loved ones on this fateful day—it never gets easier;…

Rewind to January 2020. You were in the office, working with great coworkers and an awesome boss, learning more and more each day. Everything made sense and everything felt right. Then, all of a sudden, a pandemic spread across the globe and ruined all of your plans. Sounds like a…

Weddings are a time for joy and utter happiness. It’s a special time in your life when you declare your undying love for your partner and celebrate amongst your closest friends and family. You spend months planning: picking out colors, finding the perfect dress, hosting showers and parties leading up…

If you’re a recent high school grad, we want to first apologize. For many (if not all) of you, senior year was cut short. We know you must feel sad, angry, disappointed, confused. You’ve watched graduating classes before you and looked forward to your turn—to attend senior prom; to walk…

Click here to schedule online counseling at Thriveworks. Hi, I’m Greg Handel, I’m a psychologist at both Thriveworks Franklin and Thriveworks Amherst in Massachusetts. And the question that I have is, “How long does it take to grieve the loss of a loved one?” And this is a question I…

Despite the popular notion that humor is inappropriate during difficult times, humor and laughter can actually help us cope with tough losses. Looking for the humor and turning to laughter enables us to put the loss or the moment into perspective. If you’re grieving the loss of a loved one,…

On Monday, April 15, the Notre Dame Cathedral—a staple of Paris—caught fire and collapsed, leaving many to grapple with difficult feelings that come with grief and loss. While some think of grief as a consequence of death, the reality is that we can experience grief after losing anything of importance….

There are many different types of loss and a plethora of different reactions to loss; loss might mean a loved one’s death, divorce, or moving, while common reactions to loss include depressive or anxious feelings. The way we react to such a loss has much to do with two systems:…

The loss of a loved one to suicide can hurt on a deeper level, often because of all the questions left unanswered. This type of loss can leave one feeling overwhelmed with guilt, wondering what they could have done differently and questioning everything they know to be true. While this…

If you’ve ever suffered from a major loss — that of a loved one or even the loss that comes with a breakup or job change — you might’ve experienced a change in appetite: in most cases, a loss of it. When my boyfriend of a few years broke up…

Losing a loved one is always difficult, but there is a more severe form of grief—called complicated grief—which makes it hard for an individual to ever move forward with life. Complicated grief is marked by debilitating feelings that don’t resolve or improve with time; instead, they can haunt an individual…

Instead of “getting over” or “moving on” from grief, you should take the necessary time and care to process the loss that you have experienced. While grief does lessen in intensity with time, it never truly goes away… as you’ll never forget that person you lost and the impact they…