Sonia Comiré
I approach my work with clients as a warm and kind fellow human being who understands personally that life can be very difficult at times. I offer a safe and non-judgmental space to share your story, and I combine this with my knowledge and skills to help you find hope for a future with less struggle.
Life can be difficult at times. We can find ourselves feeling overwhelmed and overcome with emotions or feeling shut down and unable to cope. I understand personally that life can be difficult. Because of this I believe in working with my clients as a warm and kind fellow human being. I combine this with my knowledge and skills to help my clients navigate through their personal challenges. I work with adults, youth, children and families facing life changing situations and I help them find their strengths and resilience.
I can offer you a safe and non-judgmental space to share your troubles, and to find hope for a future with less struggle.
About Me:
My life experience has taught me that we are all flawed human beings in need of compassion and kindness. We often feel alone in our struggles when in reality these struggles are a part of the common human experience. In mid-life I decided to change my career path and follow my passion for helping people. I completed a bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology. I also completed additional training in grief, palliative care, caregiver support, narrative therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy and trauma therapy, as well as a certification in Child Grief and Bereavement.
I have a background in community hospices, helping people of all ages to navigate the challenges of illness, caregiving, death and grief. I have worked with people from different cultures, backgrounds and identities and with people experiencing complicated and traumatic grief. I still currently work as a counsellor/psychotherapist in a community hospice, supporting individuals and families through one of the hardest times they will ever have to go through, and helping them find some comfort and guidance to get through what feels overwhelming.
About Grief:
Grief is a natural reaction to an important loss, not just a death. Grief can also be experienced because of losses in other aspects of life: job loss, divorce, children leaving home, immigration, illness, injury, or other major life changes. Whatever life challenge you are facing, I can help walk you through this difficult time in a safe and supportive relationship.
We often think of grief as simply sadness, but a major loss affects the whole person and their environment. Major life changes, such as the loss of a loved one, and the grief and struggles that they can bring, often lead to emotional, mental, physical, social and spiritual challenges.
Grief can lead us to struggle with: anger, anxiety, depression, health issues, relationship issues, family conflict, issues of self-identity, spiritual questioning, parenting issues, somatic issues, existential concerns, sleep issues and major stress; as well as increase symptoms of pre-existing psychological, emotional, physical and relational issues.
When we lose someone important, or something important to us, it often also leads to secondary losses, such as the loss of future plans when we lose a spouse or partner, or the loss of a feeling of safety, or a sense of self that we can associate with being in a life partnership. This is just one example of many other types of secondary losses we can experience.
Grief can be experienced as anticipatory grief (grieving as we are gradually losing something or someone) or as disenfranchised grief (a grief that cannot be shared or is not recognized by others). When we experience these types of grief we can benefit from talking with someone supportive, who understands and can help validate our grief experience.
Some losses can be in circumstances that are traumatic, such as in suicide, homicide, accidental or substance related deaths. This type of loss adds a layer of complication to the grieving process. When we experience a traumatic loss we are especially in need of support and guidance from someone who can provide the compassionate and safe space to process the unimaginable and to find a way forward towards healing.
Whatever type of loss you are experiencing, I have the ability to create the safe space that you need and the knowledge and experience to help you process the loss, navigate your current situation, and find hope and healing as you learn to adapt to your new life circumstances.
My Approach to Therapy:
I start by providing a safe space to help clients explore their current circumstances and experiences. Grief is a natural human experience, but when we are not supported adequately it can be confusing and disorienting. It can leave us feeling very alone and alienated. I help clients feel less alone and help them make sense of what they are experiencing in their grief. I work with each client to help them gain some insight into what may be contributing to their struggles. I then evaluate each client’s personal situation and draw from different modalities to find what type of therapy practices may be helpful for them. This is all done in a very compassionate and supportive environment. We can’t get rid of the pain of grief but we can work towards reducing the suffering.
Compassion focused therapy and mindfulness based practices are central to my work because I have found them to be effective in helping clients manage their struggles in challenging times. I also like to incorporate psychoeducation and somatic therapies. These can help clients better understand their struggles and find ways to gently care for themselves in the midst of difficult life transitions.
“Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.” – Buddhist saying.
I offer psychotherapy services in English or French.