Kelowna Grief Counselling
When loss feels overwhelming, where do you turn?
Compassionate support to help you navigate grief and rediscover hope.
A path to healing, one step at a time.
Grief Counselling In Kelowna
Grief is one of the most profound experiences a person can go through. It can arrive suddenly or slowly, and it rarely follows the timeline the world expects of us. Whether you are grieving the loss of someone you love, the end of a relationship, a pregnancy, a diagnosis, or a version of your life you thought you would have, what you are feeling is real. And it deserves to be heard.
I work with people who are carrying grief in all its forms. Some are in the thick of acute loss. Others have been holding it quietly for years. Some are grieving something the world does not always recognize as loss at all. Wherever you are in that process, there is no wrong way to grieve, and no timeline you have to meet.
What I offer is a space where you do not have to manage your grief for the comfort of others. A place where you can feel the full weight of what you are carrying, and slowly, at your own pace, begin to find your way through it.
Together, we’ll create a path toward healing, personal growth, and resilience.
– Katharine Hansen
Book A Counselling Appointment Now
You don’t have to carry this alone. If you’re ready to take the first step, I’d love to connect. New clients are welcome to book a complimentary 20-minute online consultation to see if we’re a good fit.
Kelowna Grief Therapy Tailored For You
Grief does not look the same for everyone, and grief counselling should not either. I draw from a range of therapeutic approaches depending on what you need, including Person-Centered Counselling, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Somatic Experiencing, and Attachment-Based Therapy. These are not rigid frameworks. They are tools that help create the right kind of support for where you are right now.
I offer both in-person sessions in Kelowna and online counselling for those who prefer the flexibility of meeting from home. Both options provide the same quality of care and the same commitment to meeting you where you are.
Types of Grief I Work With
Grief extends far beyond the loss of a loved one. Below are some of the experiences people bring to grief counselling. If what you are going through is not listed here, that does not mean it is less valid. It simply means your grief is your own, and we will work with it as such.
Loss of a Loved One
The death of someone we love is one of the most disorienting experiences there is. Grief after loss can bring waves of sadness, anger, numbness, guilt, or relief, sometimes all in the same afternoon. There is no correct way to grieve someone, and there is no point at which you are supposed to be “over it.” Counselling offers a space to grieve as fully and as honestly as you need to.
Pregnancy Loss and Infertility
The grief that comes with miscarriage, stillbirth, or the long road of infertility is real and often carries a particular kind of isolation. The world does not always know how to acknowledge this loss, which can leave you feeling like you are grieving alone. Katharine has walked through her own experience with infertility, which is why this work holds personal meaning for her. You do not have to minimize or explain what you have been through here.
Grief After Divorce or Relationship Loss
The end of a significant relationship carries its own grief: the loss of a shared future, a sense of identity, a family structure, or simply the person you thought you would grow old with. This kind of grief is often complicated by practical realities and the opinions of others. In counselling, we create space for the emotional weight of it, not just the logistics.
Grief With Chronic Illness or Life-Altering Diagnosis
A diagnosis, whether your own or a loved one’s, can bring profound grief for the life you had before, or the one you imagined having. This kind of grief often goes unacknowledged because the person is still living. It is real nonetheless, and it deserves the same care and attention as any other loss.
Grief Around Major Life Transitions
Sometimes grief arrives without a single identifiable loss. A career that ends. Children who leave home. A move away from a place you loved. A version of yourself you have had to leave behind. These transitions can bring a quiet, accumulating grief that deserves to be named and worked through.
Anticipatory Grief
Grief does not always begin after a loss. When a loved one is seriously ill, or when you know a significant change is coming, grief can begin long before it arrives. Anticipatory grief is exhausting and often invisible. Counselling can help you carry it without losing yourself in it.
A Safe Place To Heal
One of the things that makes grief so isolating is the pressure to manage how you are feeling for the comfort of those around you. People mean well. But being told it gets better, or that they are in a better place now, or that you need to stay strong can leave you feeling more alone than before.
In our sessions, there is no pressure to feel any particular way, or to move through grief on any particular schedule. What you are feeling is welcome here, including the parts that feel too complicated or too dark to say out loud anywhere else. This is a space where your grief is not too much.
My approach is grounded in the belief that healing does not mean forgetting. It means learning to carry what you have lost in a way that allows you to keep living. That looks different for everyone, and we find your version of it together.
Finding Growth Through Grief
While the pain of grief can feel all-consuming, it also holds the potential to lead us toward growth and transformation, even when it feels impossible to see. Grief is not a journey of forgetting or moving on, but rather one of learning to carry the loss in a way that allows for healing and renewal. It’s a process of honoring what you’ve lost while rediscovering your own capacity for resilience. Together, we’ll explore this delicate balance, creating space for you to feel and process your emotions fully while gently guiding you toward a place of greater understanding and peace.
In our work together, we’ll focus on uncovering the inner strengths that may feel hidden or diminished by the weight of your grief. Whether it’s developing meaningful coping strategies, learning to navigate everyday life with your loss, or simply finding moments of calm amidst the storm, each step forward is a powerful testament to your courage and resolve. These small victories, no matter how incremental they may seem, are essential markers of progress, reminding you of your capacity to heal and adapt.
I will walk with you through every stage of this journey, providing unwavering support and guidance as you navigate your unique path. You don’t have to face these feelings alone; I’m here to help you discover new ways of coping, living, and finding meaning in your life. Together, we’ll work to rediscover hope and create space for possibility, even in the midst of loss.
Grief may reshape your life, but it doesn’t have to define it… there is strength, transformation, and healing waiting for you on the other side.
Even in the face of profound loss, Katharine Hansen Counselling is here to help you discover the resilience within yourself and embrace a future that holds the promise of renewal and growth.
How I Work With Grief
Grief is not just an emotional experience. It lives in the body, in our sense of identity, and in the ways we relate to the people around us. Because of that, I draw on several therapeutic approaches that are particularly well suited to grief work, choosing what fits each person rather than applying a single method to everyone.
Person-Centered Counselling: Being Heard Without Judgement
At the foundation of everything I do is Person-Centered Counselling. This approach starts from the belief that you are the expert on your own experience. My role is not to guide you toward a particular outcome or tell you how your grief should look. It is to create a space where you feel genuinely heard, accepted, and safe enough to say the things you have not been able to say anywhere else. For many people carrying grief, simply being truly heard for the first time is itself the beginning of healing.
Emotionally Focused Therapy: Making Sense of What You Feel
Grief often brings emotions that feel contradictory, overwhelming, or impossible to put into words. Emotionally Focused Therapy helps you slow down and connect with what is actually happening inside, rather than staying on the surface of it. This is not about analyzing your feelings from a distance. It is about understanding them from the inside, so they become something you can work with rather than something that controls you. Many people find that when they can finally name what they are carrying, it becomes a little lighter.
Somatic Experiencing: When the Body Carries the Grief
Grief does not only live in the mind. It often shows up as exhaustion that sleep does not fix, a tightness in the chest, or a persistent sense of heaviness that has no clear explanation. Somatic Experiencing gently brings awareness to where grief is held in the body and supports the nervous system in releasing what it has been holding. Katharine is currently in advanced training in this approach and integrates it thoughtfully into sessions where it feels right. For many people, this is where some of the most meaningful shifts happen, because it reaches the parts of grief that words alone cannot always touch.
These approaches work together rather than in isolation. The thread running through all of them is the same: that healing is possible, that hope is not naïve, and that with the right support, people can find a way to carry their loss and still move forward into a life that holds meaning.
What Grief Counselling Actually Looks Like
If you have never been to counselling before, or have never sought support specifically for grief, it is natural to wonder what you are walking into. Here is what I can tell you. There is no agenda in our sessions beyond what you bring. Some people come wanting to talk about the person or thing they have lost. Others are not ready for that yet. Some sessions are full of tears. Others are quieter, more reflective. All of it is part of the process.
Together we might work on understanding what grief is doing in your body, not just your mind. We might explore patterns that grief has surfaced around your sense of identity, your relationships, or your sense of safety in the world. We might simply sit with what is hard and find language for it. The direction comes from you.
What you will not find here is a checklist of stages to move through, or a finish line you are supposed to reach. Grief counselling is not about getting over your loss. It is about building the capacity to live alongside it with more ease, more meaning, and more hope than you have right now.
Frequently Asked Questions About Relationship Counselling
Do both people in the relationship need to come to counselling?
No. I offer relationship counselling for individuals, which means I work with one person at a time. You do not need your partner’s agreement or participation for this work to be valuable. In fact, one person doing honest, supported work on their own patterns and emotional responses can shift the dynamic of a whole relationship. If your partner is not ready or willing to seek support, that does not mean you cannot move forward.
What if I am not sure whether I want to save the relationship or leave?
That uncertainty is one of the most common reasons people come to relationship counselling, and it is a completely valid place to start. You do not need to have made a decision before you book. Part of the work is getting clear on what you actually feel, what the relationship has been, and what you genuinely want. Counselling helps you arrive at that clarity from a place of self-knowledge rather than fear or exhaustion.
Is relationship counselling only for people in crisis?
No. Some of the most productive work happens with people who are not in crisis but who can feel something shifting in their relationship and want support before it becomes a bigger problem. Coming to counselling before things reach a breaking point is not a sign that something is seriously wrong. It is a sign that you value your relationship and your own wellbeing enough to invest in them.
Can counselling help if my partner and I have already decided to separate?
Yes. Individual counselling during and after separation is its own area of support, focused on helping you move through the transition with emotional clarity and as much steadiness as possible. This is especially valuable if you will continue to co-parent and need to maintain a workable relationship with your former partner. You can read more on the dedicated separation and divorce counselling page.
How many sessions will I need?
There is no fixed answer because every situation is different. Some people find significant clarity and relief in six to eight sessions. Others work through relationship challenges over a longer period, especially when the patterns involved have deep roots. We check in regularly to make sure the work continues to feel relevant and useful to you, and you are always in control of the pace.
Do you offer online relationship counselling?
Yes. I offer online individual counselling for people across BC. Many people find it easier to open up and reflect honestly from the comfort of their own space, and online sessions offer the same depth of support as in-person appointments. Both options are available.
You Do Not Have To Carry This Alone
Grief can make the world feel very small and very heavy. If you are in Kelowna or anywhere in BC and looking for grief counselling or bereavement support, I am here. Whether your loss is recent or something you have been carrying for a long time, this is a space where you are welcome exactly as you are.
Reaching out is often the hardest step. I hope you take it.
Book A Counselling Appointment Now
Reaching out is often the hardest part. I offer a free 20-minute online consultation for new clients so you can ask questions, share what’s on your mind, and decide if counselling with me feels right for you.