I often have new clients coming in to see me a year or more after their loved one has died. Naturally, they thought that if they could make it through the first year, they'd be solid. But, no, grief changes in the second year, and for some, is harder to navigate alone.

The BIG B for many grievers is BLAME. And playing the” blame game” is not a fun game to play. It’s a game that can consume you forever if you allow it to. And moreover, the value of playing is low, since it will not bring back your loved one.

I have just completed over one year of my grief counseling private practice on the zoom platform.

And here’s the good news. IT WORKS.

Find out how to get started with virtual grief counseling now!

You can find joy during times of grief. And you should. Staying in the “heaviness” of grief without shifting to some “lightness” is a profoundly uncomfortable way of being.

I want to emphasize the fact that when we are talking about grief, we never ever want to use the term MOVE ON. The accepted term to describe what happens when life resumes after the experience of a death of a loved one is MOVE FORWARD.

Let’s face it, the term “widowed parent” is a double whammy. To be widowed is one thing. To be sure, being widowed and a parent doubles the challenge.

It’s wintertime now. The days are getting darker earlier and those who are bereaved will likely feel “darker” earlier too. It’s tough to handle grief when it’s dark and dreary to begin with Add the coronavirus pandemic to the mix, and you have a very isolated grieving time, with less light and fewer people around to brighten your days.

Let’s face it: the pandemic is taking a toll on just about everyone.

People have gone through a range of scenarios…

This year, the COVID-19 pandemic is throwing adults way off-kilter, especially during this holiday season which is supposed to come with fun and festivity. This year, not so much.

Do you fall to pieces at the sound of a Christmas song playing in the store? And wonder how one song can ruin your shopping trip? Do you stare at the adult buying a gift for her child as you grieve the loss of yours? Do you want to kick every Christmas tree that you see? Do you want to rip the December page right out of the calendar and hide under the covers until it’s over? You’re not alone.

A while back, a writer from the New York Magazine “Strategist” column asked to interview me on a second grief-related topic…condolence gifts to give…

Flashback to March 2020. I was conducting my grief counseling sessions in a business-as-usual format in my office in midtown Manhattan. Then, there were murmurs that the newly-arrived coronavirus would soon cause us all to stay home.

We all know that holidays can be difficult after the death of a loved one. We tend to think of those holidays as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Passover, Easter, and other big ones. Planning to connect with Halloween celebrations this year? You may feel more “tricked” than “treated.”…

Last year, a reporter from The New York Times called me to interview me about a topic she was researching. She had been noticing that whenever she went to visit a certain relative who was newly widowed, this woman was usually microwaving her dinner ... a simple piece of fish, perhaps. The unusual part is that this woman used to cook and entertain, and make proper meals. So, this was out of character.

Talking to children and teenagers about death can be very challenging. Is your family experiencing a difficult situation involving the death of a loved one – a family member, a special pet, a teacher, a relative, or a friend?

In my grief counseling practice, I am getting inquiries more and more from men and women (sometimes children too) who come to me prior to the death of a loved one. They’re surprised when I say: Yup, that’s anticipatory grief. It’s a “thing”.

Besides Jan Warner’s popular facebook page, I want to share with you her recent book which could be interesting and useful for you. In her book, Ms. Warner uses her extensive experience (after the death of her husband a decade ago) with the experiences of the two million followers on her Facebook page to offer hope, in practical ways.

Well, here we are. We are over a month into the coronavirus pandemic, in social isolation at home and even, when possible, working remotely from wherever works best in your living space. Each of us in some way – small or large – are grieving our own losses.

Here we are in a situation in which people of all ages, genders, races, ethnicities, professions, etc. are dying at a time when in all likelihood, they ORDINARILY WOULD NOT BE DYING.

Questions you might be thinking to yourself:

I know someone who died from the Coronavirus. How Can I process this?

My loved one died from the Coronavirus. How can I grieve through this?

The children are asking if their grandparents, or even their parents, will die from the Coronavirus. What should I tell them?