What we’re going through is heartbreaking, shocking, overwhelming, and traumatic. I wish I could tell you there was some sort of quick fix to help you feel better, but having lived through job loss and been surrounded by others going through it as well, it’s clear that this is a uniquely complex and painful experience… If nothing else, I hope this helps you to name your feelings a bit more clearly.

So much of grief work is about helping clients deconstruct unhelpful cultural ideas about how we are supposed to grieve. The idea that grief is a process you eventually get through and overcome after x number of predictable, linear steps does little but add shame to the pain grievers are already feeling.