Finding your way through life after loss
Losing someone or something important to you can change your world in ways you never expected.
Perhaps you've lost someone you love, experienced the end of a relationship or are facing a future that looks very different from the one you imagined.
You might be struggling with everyday life, feeling overwhelmed by emotions or trying to carry on as normal when nothing feels quite the same.
I'm Kate, a grief counsellor based in Ipswich, Suffolk. I offer a safe, compassionate space where you can talk openly about your loss and how you're feeling, without judgement or pressure to be okay.
You don't have to find your way through grief alone.
When grief feels overwhelming
You don't have to pretend you're coping.
Grief can bring a mixture of emotions, sometimes all in the same day.
You might be feeling:
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Sadness. You miss the person you've lost and the life you shared together.
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Loneliness. Even when you're surrounded by people, something or someone is missing.
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Anger. At the unfairness of your loss, the circumstances surrounding it or the way life has changed.
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Guilt. You find yourself thinking about things you wish you'd said or done differently.
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Anxiety. The future feels uncertain, and you're not sure how to move forward.
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Numbness. You know what's happened, but sometimes you don't feel much at all.
You might also find yourself struggling with sleep, concentration or everyday routines. Certain dates, places or memories can bring your grief to the surface unexpectedly.
There isn't a right way to grieve, and you don't have to make sense of everything before asking for support.
Understanding grief and bereavement
Grief is a natural response to losing someone or something important to us, but that doesn't mean it's easy to live with.
It's not just about feeling sad. Grief can affect your emotions, relationships, confidence, physical wellbeing and the way you see the world.
You may be grieving the person you've lost, but also the future you imagined together, the routines you shared and the life that now feels different without them.
Sometimes grief feels particularly intense straight after a loss. For others, it becomes more difficult months or even years later.
You might experience sadness, anger, guilt, regret or even relief, particularly if your relationship with the person you've lost was complicated.
Grief doesn't follow a set of stages or a timetable. Your experience is your own.
How I can support you through grief and bereavement
You don't have to carry everything on your own.
Sometimes the people closest to us are grieving too. Sometimes they don't know what to say. And sometimes we hold back because we don't want to upset them or feel like a burden.
Counselling gives you somewhere that's just for you.
A place where you can talk openly about the person you've lost, share memories, explore difficult feelings or simply say the things you haven't been able to say out loud.
We can explore whatever feels important to you, at a pace that feels manageable.
Together, we might work on:
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Making sense of the emotions you're experiencing following your loss.
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Exploring feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, loneliness or regret.
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Talking about your relationship with the person who died and what they meant to you.
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Finding ways to cope with difficult days, anniversaries and reminders.
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Understanding how grief is affecting your everyday life and relationships.
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Adjusting to changes in your routines, responsibilities and sense of identity.
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Finding ways to remember and stay connected to the person you've lost while continuing with your own life.
My aim isn't to help you forget someone or tell you that it's time to move on.
It's to give you space to understand your grief, feel less alone with what you're carrying and begin finding your own way forward.
How I can support you
Grief Counselling in Ipswich, Suffolk and Online
Grief is different for everyone, and the circumstances surrounding a loss can make a big difference to how we experience it.
You might be grieving someone who died suddenly, coming to terms with a loss after a long illness or struggling with the death of a much-loved pet.
Whatever you're going through, you deserve support that recognises your experience.
Grief isn't always about death
Grief Counselling for Other Types of Loss
Grief isn't always about losing someone through death. It can also happen when we lose something important to our identity, relationships or the future we imagined.
I also support people experiencing:
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Relationship breakdown and divorce. Grieving the end of a relationship, the future you imagined together or changes to family life.
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Estrangement. Coping with the loss of contact or connection with a family member or someone important to you.
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Loss of health or independence. Adjusting to illness, disability or changes to what you're able to do.
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Job, business or financial loss. Dealing with changes that affect your security, confidence, identity or sense of purpose.
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Empty nest and life transitions. Finding your way through significant changes, including children leaving home, retirement or a new stage of life.
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Multiple or cumulative losses. When several losses happen close together, leaving you feeling overwhelmed or unsure where to begin.
Whatever your circumstances, you don't have to compare your grief with anyone else's.
If something important to you has changed or been lost, your feelings matter.
You don't have to grieve the way other people expect you to
Perhaps you've been told you're doing really well because you haven't cried, or that you should be feeling better by now.
But grief doesn't follow a set of rules.
You can miss someone desperately and still have moments of happiness. You can feel angry, guilty, relieved or completely numb, sometimes all in the same day.
Finding moments of joy doesn't mean you've forgotten someone, and having difficult days doesn't mean you're going backwards.
You don't need to justify your grief here.
A personal approach to grief counselling
I'm Kate, an integrative grief counsellor and grief coach based in Ipswich, Suffolk.
Through my counselling work, including supporting people within a hospice setting, I've seen how differently people experience grief and how important it is to have somewhere they feel genuinely heard.
I don't believe in a one-size-fits-all approach.
Some sessions might involve talking about the person you've lost, sharing memories and exploring how you're feeling.
Other times, we might focus on the challenges you're facing right now, changes in your relationships or finding practical ways to help you cope with everyday life.
I draw on different counselling and coaching approaches depending on what you need.
You don't have to decide whether counselling or coaching is right for you before we meet. We can talk about what you're experiencing and work out together how I can best support you.
How we can work together
Counselling is flexible, and we can work together in a way that suits you best.
In-Person Counselling in Ipswich
Meet with me in a calm, private and welcoming therapy room in Ipswich, Suffolk.
£55 per session
Sessions last 60 minutes
A comfortable, confidential counselling space in Ipswich
Remote and Online Grief Counselling
The same warm, supportive counselling from the comfort of your own space, via secure video (Teams/Zoom) or by phone
£55 per session
Sessions last 60 minutes
Video or phone