Grief Recovery groups and individual therapy are provided by a Licensed Professional Counselor trained as a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist. Grief is the normal and natural reaction to emotional loss of any kind. The range of emotions are unique with each individual and cannot be compared to others. Losses include death, divorce, retirement, moving, financial, lifestyle and health concerns, br
oken dreams, loss of a beloved pet, including the recent wildfires in Colorado devastating and displacing a large number of families who have lost their homes. Grief is the emotional response to loss, but when it debilitates a person long term, quality of life deteriorates. Grief is an emotional response and most of the information we have learned about dealing with grief is intellectual. Intellectually dealing with grief is ineffective emotionally. It is almost impossible to move on emotionally without first taking a series of actions that can lead to completion. The Grief Recovery Institute was established in 1977 by John W. James who had found an effective way to recover from the painful grief he was experiencing over the loss of his son. Shortly thereafter Russell Friedman, who had suffered the loss of a marriage and bankruptcy, reluctantly attended a lecture on grief recovery by Mr. James and realized that it might help him with his own overwhelming feelings of pain. After volunteering at the Institute, he joined the organization as a co-founder and is an integral part of the Grief Recovery Institute. The Grief Recovery Method provides a group program and individual therapy formulated by the Grief Recovery Institute that helps people move beyond the pain caused by loss. The grief recovery group is a 12 week program that creates a safe environment in which to look at old beliefs about dealing with loss; to look at what losses have affected one’s life; and to take new actions which can lead to completion of the pain attached to one of those losses. For those who do not feel comfortable in a group setting, Recovery from the loss and pain is accomplished by discovering and completing a series of actions can lead to completion of unresolved grief. Before taking the actions to complete, it is important to look at, and often dismiss, some of the ideas for myths that we have tied to use with loss, but which are not working. For more information about Passages of the Heart and the Grief Recovery Method, please contact www.PassagesoftheHeart.com and www.griefrecoverymethod.com.
