Grief, Healing, and the Space In Between
Kessler’s powerful addition to the grief conversation is the idea of a sixth stage: meaning. Meaning doesn’t diminish the loss—it allows us to carry our love forward. It might show up in ritual, in storytelling, in creativity, or in simple everyday actions that honour what was lost. Meaning invites us to live in a way that reflects what mattered most about the person or chapter we’ve had to say goodbye to. It allows space for both the pain and the possibility of healing.
Grief is profoundly personal. It’s shaped by who we are, where we come from, the relationships we’ve had, and the internal resources we carry. Your grief is your own. It may be quiet or intense, physical or emotional, temporary or long-lasting. There’s no universal timeline, and no single way it should look. When we stop comparing our grief to others, we create space for our experience to simply be—messy, tender, real, and valid.
One of the greatest gifts we can offer someone who is grieving is our presence. Not advice. Not silver linings. Just a willingness to sit beside them in their pain and say, “I’m here.” In therapeutic settings, I model this kind of grounded witnessing. It’s the kind of presence that says, “You don’t need to be fixed.” In groups, the power of this witnessing becomes collective. When stories are shared and emotions are held with compassion, we start to see how grief connects us—how healing happens through shared humanity.
Grief, while painful, also has the potential to transform. It doesn’t mean we “move on” or forget. It means we begin to integrate the loss into who we are. Many people find that, over time, their grief opens them to deeper empathy, clarity about what matters most, and a renewed sense of meaning. This transformation isn’t something we force—it’s something that unfolds when we give ourselves space to grieve without judgment.
Whether you’re grieving a person, a relationship, a role, a home, or a version of life that’s changed, know that your grief is welcome here. Psychotherapy and counselling can offer the supportive container you need to hold grief without rushing it or reshaping it. In both individual and group spaces, the invitation is always the same: to be witnessed, supported, and never alone in your grief.
Grief touches all of us at some point in our lives. Whether it comes suddenly or follows a long goodbye, the experience of loss can leave us feeling unmoored—like the world has shifted beneath our feet. In psychotherapy and counselling, grief is given the time, space, and compassion it deserves. It isn’t something to “get over,” but rather something we learn to live with—gently and gradually.
As a Certified Grief Educator, Psychotherapist, and Registered Nurse, I (Angela) support individuals navigating grief, trauma, loss, and major life transitions. My approach is grounded in the work of grief expert David Kessler, as well as in trauma-informed and somatic practices that honour both the emotional and physiological impact of loss. Through individual sessions and group work, I’ve come to deeply trust that grief is not a problem to be solved—it is an experience to be witnessed and held.
One of the most important truths about grief is that it’s not linear. While many are familiar with the five stages of grief—denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance—these were never meant to be prescriptive or orderly. David Kessler, who worked closely with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, reminds us that these stages are not a roadmap. We don’t pass through grief in straight lines. We revisit old emotions, skip stages entirely, or experience them in different ways than expected. Grief unfolds in its own rhythm, and there is no “right” way to do it.
