Grief is something all of us will live through, yet most of us were never taught how to talk about it. In her latest episode of This Complex Life, therapist Marie Vakakis sits with grief in all its forms, from the loss we see coming to the loss that knocks us sideways.
Therapist Marie Vakakis, an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker and couples therapist based in Melbourne’s west, opens up about the grief she’s lived through and the patterns she sees in her therapy room every week. She covers the many types of grief, the things people say with good intentions that actually make it harder, and the small practical ways we can show up for the people we love when they’re grieving.
This episode covers:
The different types of grief, including anticipatory grief and disenfranchised grief
What to say, and what to never say, to someone who’s grieving
Why partners often grieve in completely different ways
Grief bursts, and why sadness can arrive months or years after a loss
How to support someone without asking them to do the thinking for you
What to do when grief comes out as anger
Why your grief matters, no matter whose loss it’s measured against
Find Marie at marievakakis.com.au or get in touch at askmarie@marievakakis.com.au.