Grief Counselling Northern Beaches – For Men Who Process Loss Differently

YOU’RE NOT ALONE

What is Grief?

Male-Friendly Grief Counselling in Northern Beaches

No one should have to navigate loss alone. At The Counselling Practice, we provide professional grief counselling in the Northern Beaches to help you process loss, feel supported, and find your way forward without pressure to grieve "the right way."

Grief is more than just sadness about death. It's a set of physical, emotional, and behavioural responses that can become overwhelming when you've lost someone or something significant in your life. Whether it's the death of a loved one, end of a relationship, job loss, or health challenges, grief affects everyone differently.

Grief often shows up differently for men – withdrawal, anger, wanting to "fix" things, or throwing yourself into work rather than what people typically expect as "mourning

What Does Grief Feel Like?

Grief affects people in different ways, but there are common patterns that counsellors recognise:

In Your Body: Physical symptoms of grief can include exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, headaches, muscle tension, or changes in appetite. Your body reacts to loss as a form of stress, even when the loss wasn't sudden.

In Your Head: Mental symptoms of grief often look like difficulty concentrating, forgetting things, replaying memories, or intrusive thoughts about the person or situation you've lost. Many men describe their mind as "foggy" or unable to focus on work like before.

How You Feel: Emotional symptoms include sadness, anger, guilt, relief (which can then cause more guilt), numbness, or feeling overwhelmed. Some men experience grief more as frustration – angry at the situation, at others who "don't get it," or at themselves for not handling it better.

What You Do: Behavioural signs of grief can include avoiding places or people that remind you of your loss, withdrawing from social activities, working longer hours to stay distracted, or struggling to maintain normal routines and responsibilities.

Grief counselling often provides significant relief and helps people process loss in healthy ways. For some people, combining therapy with support groups or, in cases where depression develops, medication prescribed by a GP can provide additional help. Treatment approaches vary depending on individual needs and the type of loss experienced

Different Types of Grief and Loss

Grief can show up in many different ways, and not everyone's experience looks the same. Some of the more common types include:

Anticipatory Grief: Grieving that begins before the actual loss occurs, such as when someone is diagnosed with a terminal illness or when you know a relationship is ending. This type of grief can feel confusing because you're mourning while the person is still alive or the situation hasn't fully ended.

Complicated Grief: When grief becomes stuck and doesn't seem to soften over time. Symptoms remain intense months or years after the loss, significantly impacting daily functioning. This often requires specialized bereavement counselling to help process what's blocking natural healing.

Disenfranchised Grief: Grief that isn't socially recognized or supported, such as losing an ex-partner, a pet, a job identity, or grieving for someone who died by suicide. Society may not acknowledge these losses as "legitimate" reasons for grief, leaving you feeling isolated.

Ambiguous Loss: Grieving someone who is physically present but psychologically absent (like dementia) or physically absent but psychologically present (like missing persons). This type of loss creates ongoing uncertainty that makes processing difficult.

Sudden Loss: When death or loss occurs without warning – accidents, heart attacks, suicide, or sudden job termination. The shock can make it difficult to accept what's happened and begin processing the reality of the loss.

Cumulative Grief: Multiple losses occurring close together or unresolved grief from previous losses being triggered by new ones. This can feel overwhelming as you're trying to process several significant changes at once.

Secondary Losses: The ripple effects that come after the primary loss – loss of identity, financial security, social connections, or future plans that were connected to what you've lost.

Understanding which type of grief you're experiencing is the first step in getting the right support. Each type has its own challenges, but all can be worked through with appropriate grief support and time.

Benefits of GRIEF Counselling

Counselling can play a central role in supporting healthy grief processing and helping you rebuild after loss. It offers practical strategies, emotional support, and space to work through difficult feelings. Some of the main benefits include:

Processing Loss Naturally Grief therapy can help you understand and work through the complex emotions that come with loss, making the grieving process feel less overwhelming and more manageable day to day.

Reducing Isolation and Loneliness Grief can be incredibly isolating, especially when others don't understand your experience. Counselling provides a space where your feelings are normal and expected, reducing the sense that you're alone in this.

Building Practical Coping Skills Therapy helps you develop concrete tools for managing difficult days, handling triggers and anniversaries, and maintaining daily responsibilities while processing grief.

Addressing Complicated Emotions Grief often comes with unexpected feelings like anger, guilt, or relief that can be confusing or shameful. Bereavement counselling helps you understand these emotions as normal parts of the grieving process.

Maintaining Important Relationships Loss can strain relationships with family and friends who may not understand your grief process. Therapy helps you communicate your needs and maintain connections during difficult times.

Creating Meaning from Loss Rather than just "getting over" loss, counselling helps you find ways to carry the memory or significance of what you've lost while building a meaningful life moving forward.

Seeking grief counselling is not about rushing through pain or forgetting what you've lost. It's an active step toward processing loss in healthy ways while maintaining your ability to engage with life and relationships.