Grief Therapists in Meaford, ON

Are you stuck or struggling in life? Feelings like anxiety, fear, anger, depression, and hopelessness can linger after stressful, tragic events or losses. I want to help you overcome these symptoms and guide you through the process of grief and healing. As Gabor Maté reminds us, “Trauma is not what happens to you. Trauma is what happens inside you”. In accepting that ‘we’ are not our circumstance, we can rise and become better able to secure a sense of peace and connection with ourselves and our loved ones. The goal is to help you grow from your struggles, heal from your pain, and move forward to where you want to be in your life.

Hello! In my practice, I offer in-person and online psychotherapy sessions to adults, adolescents and pre-teens who are struggling with emotional, situational or relationship issues. Using various evidenced-based therapies, I work with clients to create an individualized treatment approach that will focus on skill development, insight and direction for meaningful change.

Feeling overwhelmed and finding it hard to prioritize your health? Worried this is hurting your relationships? Psychotherapy can help improve your health, functioning and well-being. It is a source of support when facing tough life transitions, adapting to changes in your health, experiencing loss and grief, or for mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. At the core of my practice is a commitment to help you identify challenges and barriers in your life and develop skills for overcoming them with confidence.

At Live In Light Counselling Services individuals, couples and families receive counselling and support through life's challenges including trauma [PTSD & cPTSD], retirement transition, anxiety, depression, mental illness and adjustment to life changes such as divorce, death, medical diagnosis, adolescence, marriage difficulty, personality disorder from two qualified professionals. Lucy Marlin, Registered Psychotherapist/Owner and Jaclyn Strimas MSW, RSW, Psychotherapist are experienced and qualified to provide face-to-face, telephone and e-counselling.

Counselling is an opportunity for you to explore your feelings, thoughts and behaviours as you process through the difficult and sometimes painful things in life, be it coping with major life challenges or childhood trauma, dealing with mental health or addictions, working through grief and loss, or simply desiring greater personal awareness. Reaching out for support takes courage. I offer a safe, confidential and caring environment and will work collaboratively with you to fulfill your personal goals for therapy.

Life is nothing short of amazing. It's amazing how much we can go through and live to tell about it. It's amazing how fast kids grow up and time flies, how angry a co-worker can make you, how much compassion we can seem to have for others when we struggle to offer any to ourselves. It's amazing how much we put on our plates when all we need is to rest. It's amazing how much we can long for understanding and connection and how much opportunity can be missed right in front of our eyes. It's amazing how short life is. It's also amazing how much we can learn in the time we have, and how little steps can amount to such massive change.

Believe it or not, in the same way that you learned how to read or ride a bike, you CAN learn to navigate uncertainty and coast through the emotional ups and downs that come with the times in your life when you do not know where to go or what to do. I believe that creativity can be the sustaining and supportive fire that fuels your life. Listening, breathing, embodied learning, and making, are the four principles which have guided my practice over the last 15 years. Changing longstanding habits or patterns takes time, commitment, motivation, and consistency, many approaches are needed. Caring for yourself is fundamental to life.

My name is Joanna and I am a registered clinical Social Worker. Accessing therapy takes immense courage and I am honoured to support you in taking this step. I work from a strengths-based, trauma-informed perspective. I provide counselling to adolescents and adults experiencing a variety of challenges including; anxiety, depression, unhelpful thinking patterns, low self-esteem, workplace/school concerns, relationship conflict, and complex trauma. I believe that engaging in therapy will help you to develop effective coping skills and enhance your inherent resiliency to manage stressors in life.

Ask yourself... are the struggles I'm experiencing in my life due simply because things are happening to me? Struggles in relationships, traumatic/problematic situations and unwanted thoughts do come into our lives but these struggles lie in our capacity to listen to our emotions and hear what it is they are trying to tell us about all of these things. Our emotions are an early warning system that calls us to action because we are seeking resonance (love, joy, balance, peace) in our lives. When things resonate with us, they feel right. It's a visceral gut reaction. Unfortunately, emotions don't speak English. Our thoughts do.

Whatever thinking and behaviours you find problematic that have become interwoven in your daily living, you can unlearn. It will not be easy to learn new behaviours, ways of thinking, and communication, but the brain is capable of forming new pathways. You are capable of change. A lot of hard work and introspection are involved, and you may experience setbacks. This is part of healing. I am here to help in this process to make connections from your past, guide you in your present and support you to take charge to improve the outcomes of your future.

Life isn’t always easy. We all go through times where we need support. If you are here, something in your life isn’t how you would like to be and you are looking for support to have it be different. Good for you! Change isn’t always easy but it’s always worth it when you are headed in the direction of who you are meant to be.

I am interested in helping adults, adolescents, and families work through challenges related to trauma and PTSD, anxiety, phobias, depression, grief, relationship conflict and separation and divorce. My practice is a person-centered, strengths based approach working collaboratively with clients to reach their goals. I believe in creating a warm and empathic environment where my clients feel respect, understanding and trust. I provide my clients with unconditional support, education and tools that help foster inner resources, self-compassion and resiliency.

People often enter into counselling in an effort to better understand and overcome personal struggles, problems and conflict. Our work together is aimed at removing the barriers that prevent you from experiencing the ease, love and balance you seek for yourself and others.