Losing someone important to you can be one of the most painful experiences we face. Bereavement affects everyone differently, and there is no right or wrong way to experience grief.

You may feel overwhelming sadness, anger, guilt, relief, confusion or even numbness. Some days you might feel able to cope, while on others the smallest thing can catch you off guard. Grief rarely follows a straight line, and feelings can come in waves, sometimes when you least expect them.

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Grief isn't only experienced after the death of someone we love. We can also grieve the loss of a relationship or friendship, a pregnancy, a pet, a role or part of our identity, or even the life or future we had imagined for ourselves. Whatever your loss, what it means to you is important.

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Sometimes the people around us don't know what to say or how to help. You may feel pressure to be “doing better” or worry that other people think you should have moved on, particularly as time passes. You might even wonder this yourself. But there isn't a timetable for grief or a point by which you should feel a particular way.

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As an integrative counsellor with a Person-Centred foundation, I offer a warm, compassionate and non-judgemental space where you can talk about your loss at your own pace. You don't have to protect other people from how you're feeling, pretend you're coping or make your grief easier for somebody else to hear.

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Sometimes you might want to talk about the person you've lost and the memories you shared. At other times you may want to talk about anger, regret, things left unsaid, how life has changed, or simply how difficult today has been. There is room for all of it.

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Loss can also bring up other experiences and feelings that you weren't expecting. It might remind you of an earlier bereavement, change the way you see yourself or your relationships, or leave you questioning what life looks like now. We can explore whatever comes up without needing to rush towards an answer or try to “fix” how you're feeling.

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Counselling isn't about helping you forget, move on or reach an endpoint in your grief. It can simply offer you somewhere to bring whatever you're carrying, where your loss can be spoken about and your feelings don't need to be explained, minimised or made more comfortable for anyone else.

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Whether your loss is recent or happened many years ago, you are welcome to bring your grief exactly as it is.