Grief

Loss can turn your world upside down.

Evelyn* lost her home after her landlord discovered she and her partner were a couple. They were 65 years old and had been together for 40 years.

They had always been happy in their home. But when their landlord discovered they were a lesbian couple, he evicted them.

The couple was devastated by their loss. They didn’t know where to go but eventually found a new place to live, much smaller and more expensive than their old home. They had to downsize their belongings and move away from their friends and family.

The loss of their home and friends seemed to have changed their lives forever – creating much grief.

Grief is a natural response to loss.

Grief has many causes, such as losing a loved one or losing a sense of belonging or acceptance within their community or society.

People experience grief differently. Some find it overwhelming emotionally, making it difficult to move forward.

In grieving, you may experience low mood (depression), enough to interfere with your daily functioning. Unfortunately, overcoming grief is not easy and takes time.

Discrimination and stigma can also cause grief.

You may also experience additional challenges regarding grieving due to discrimination and stigma related to your sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

It is essential for those who are part of the LGBTQIA community to seek out supportive resources and allow themselves to process their grief in a healthy and meaningful way.

It can also be helpful to connect with a mental health professional to help you reconnect with your life. As a therapist, I can help with grief – especially when dealing with discrimination.

Evelyn explored her grief with me.

While Evelyn and I worked together to help her process her grief over the sudden life change, we acknowledged the discrimination she felt over losing her home. We processed her grief by examining her distorted thoughts about the eviction and making further plans.

With the help of therapy, Evelyn began to process her grief more healthily by getting on a new routine and changing her thoughts on the incident and what it meant to her.

If grief keeps you from moving forward, I can help. I understand discrimination and grief and want to take this journey with you.

Don’t grieve in silence. Contact me today.

*Name and story are composite narratives and do not reflect an actual client.