The Simple Guide to Grief
The First Steps Toward Healing
Following the loss of something significant to us, grief is a natural response. The grieving process is a long, unique and unusual experience.
Each of us will experience grief in our lives and for some it fully encompasses our lives, even if only for a period of time.
People will search out help to make sense of their grief in an attempt to find healing. This free mini training was created to assist the grieving with a specific focus on the first steps toward healing.
Your Instructor
My name is Michelle Onyango. The youngest of my four children, David, died on January 4th, 2012. It was my 31st birthday. He was only 68 days old.
On a day when I should have been celebrating, my world crumbled and my heart broke.
Months passed and I lay crying on my couch, numb to the world. Friends and family drifted away. I was overwhelmed with sadness and didn’t think anyone could feel as bad as I did. Nobody could truly understand what I was going through.
My world shattered every time I heard, “Get over it,” or “Move on.”
Time would pass and I’d feel better for a while only to be struck by incapacitating sorrow. When the cloud of grief would hit, I felt like a failure. Like I was moving backward and I’d never be happy again.
I did so many things trying to find closure. I searched and searched. I even went back to school and got a Masters in Education Counselling in hopes of helping myself and others.
After trying different things, I identified seven needs of mourning that were crucial to reconciling my grief. Once I discovered a path to healing, I made it my mission to help other grievers along the journey. I opened my own counselling practice, started a podcast and publically spoke to groups about grief.
Before long, I noticed others finding healing too!
My clients learned coping skills and strategies to work through their emotions and thoughts in a safe and supportive space.
They were able to identify their unmet needs of mourning and we worked to find ways to meet them. As they mourned, the grief lessened BUT the memories remained.
Grief never goes away but we can have hope and happiness. We can learn to Live with Loss.
When I realized there were needs of mourning and most people didn’t know how to meet them, I created educational information, activities and resources to help them out.
That brought with it, a problem: I couldn’t help enough people. Seeing one client at a time meant I could only assist a small group of people even though so many suffer.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you're stuck and wondering where to go next, this free mini training provides the perfect opportunity. Join me now.