Healing for Grief and Loss

Healing for Grief and Loss The H.E.A.L.I.N.G. program works with individuals, groups, schools, agencies and organizations to validate, normalize and educate their process through grief.

04/28/2026

It can sound like this:

“Sometimes I miss my mom so much it physically hurts. Did you see the Celtics game last night? They're going to be tough to beat!”

They can dive into the water of grief and get out just as quickly.

This is normal.

Diving deep into grief and staying there can be a lot.

Let them process in their own way and time.

04/23/2026

Spring is often associated with hope, new beginnings and life is blooming.

But for grievers, Spring can be a reminder of who is not there to experience this hope, new beginnings, and blooms with us.

I once had a client tell me, “I was legit offended when someone asked me a week after my cat died if I was going to get ...
04/21/2026

I once had a client tell me, “I was legit offended when someone asked me a week after my cat died if I was going to get another one?”

Pets are part of the family with whom we have a relationship.

Would you ask someone a week after their partner died if they were going to get another one?

You wouldn’t.

Don’t let anyone make you feel like your grief isn’t valid.

To distance ourselves from painful experiences we may instinctively avoid them.However, avoidance doesn't eliminate them...
04/16/2026

To distance ourselves from painful experiences we may instinctively avoid them.

However, avoidance doesn't eliminate them, it just prolongs them and makes them feel less manageable.

What have you been avoiding?

What would it look like to no longer avoid it?

Do you find this to be a helpful perspective?
04/14/2026

Do you find this to be a helpful perspective?

04/09/2026

It may take time to find something that fits, but there is more than one way to find relief and reduce suffering.

Here are some good places to start:

-Talk to a trusted family member, friend, or colleague. Let them know what you're feeling.

-Network through school, through place of work, or through place of worship for different options for support.

-Ask your doctor or search your health insurance provider for resources in your area.

And if you're ready to reach out to a professional for support, visit healingforgriefandloss.com to read more about monthly grief support groups in Newton, Massachusetts (run by Ken Barringer, M.A., LMHC)

04/07/2026

Many people say “I’m not feeling anything.”

Grief doesn’t only show up as emotion. If you’re noticing ways that you’ve changed since loss, you might explore, “Could this be grief?”

So when people think they aren’t “dealing” because they aren’t experiencing changes in emotion, people often realize, “I am. It’s just showing up somewhere else.”

When people say, “It hasn’t hit me yet,” they’re usually comparing their experience to an expectation.We have a great nu...
04/02/2026

When people say, “It hasn’t hit me yet,” they’re usually comparing their experience to an expectation.

We have a great number of teachers of how we are supposed to manage grief: Our family, culture, religion, the media, etc

Our previous experience with management of loss is also a factor, however, the way we manage loss can be determined by our attachment to the person and where we are in our life development (cognitive, emotional, and physical).

The grief process for a ten-year-old and a thirty-five-year-old is quite different.

Barring a major psychotic break or disconnect from reality the loss of someone significant has hit you and you are dealing with it just maybe not in the way you thought.

“Well that sounds great, why don’t I just do that?” This snarky reply came from a client who was told by a doctor, upon ...
03/31/2026

“Well that sounds great, why don’t I just do that?”

This snarky reply came from a client who was told by a doctor, upon learning of his partner’s life limiting diagnosis, he should, “think positively”.

What is simple is not easy. How do you just ‘think positively’?

If you know someone that is grieving or anticipatory grieving, you might be tempted to give advice on what they should do, think, and feel. (often coming from a desire to be helpful, but not knowing what to say)

The reality is, this might leave them feeling isolated and like they can’t talk to you about what they are actually feeling.

Instead, you could try asking them what they might need to be supported.

We often hear the phrase, “The family got closure.”Closure suggests finality, or an ending that feels complete. But mean...
03/26/2026

We often hear the phrase, “The family got closure.”

Closure suggests finality, or an ending that feels complete. But meaningful relationships rarely end in a way that feels neatly resolved.

Grief is not about closing the door. It’s about learning how to live with a relationship that has changed.

If you’re still feeling the impact long after others expect you to be “done,” you’re not doing grief wrong.

Grief doesn’t look the same every day.Many people move back and forth between feeling the loss deeply and focusing on ge...
03/24/2026

Grief doesn’t look the same every day.
Many people move back and forth between feeling the loss deeply and focusing on getting through daily life.
One day you may feel everything.
Another day you may function and wonder why you’re not feeling more.
If you find yourself in one mode or the other, it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong. It may simply be part of how you’re adjusting.

03/19/2026

We’re often taught that grief should feel like emotional flooding, like the dam breaking all at once. That’s not always how it shows up, and that is okay.
Read the full post at healingforgriefandloss.com

Address

425 Watertown Street Suite 202
Newton, MA
02458

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 8pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 8pm

Telephone

+16179692200

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