Growing with Grief: How Person-Centred Therapy with Lisa Wastney Can Help

National Grief Awareness Week (2–8 December) reminds us that grief is not something we “get over.” Instead, we learn to live alongside it, carrying love and loss together. This year’s theme, “Growing with Grief,” speaks to the way our lives expand around pain, even as we continue to honour those we miss.

At Therapy with Lisa Wastney, I offer a compassionate space to explore grief without judgement. Whether you are navigating the first raw waves of loss or the quieter, ongoing ache that resurfaces with anniversaries and seasons, therapy can help you meet those feelings with care.

🌿 Person‑Centred Therapy and Grief

My practice is rooted in person‑centred therapy, which places your experience at the heart of our work. The three core conditions — empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard — create a safe, non‑judgemental relationship where you can bring whatever feels true for you.

In grief, this means:

• Space for all emotions — sadness, anger, guilt, numbness, or even relief.

• Validation — no pressure to “move on” or perform strength.

• Compassion — softening self‑criticism during a vulnerable time.

• Gentle growth — exploring how life can expand around grief, in line with this year’s theme.

  
  

🌱 Integrating ACT Principles

Alongside my person‑centred foundation, I am actively training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). ACT offers practical tools that complement the relational depth of person‑centred work:

• Acceptance: Meeting grief as it is, rather than resisting or suppressing it.

• Defusion: Learning to notice painful thoughts without being consumed by them.

• Values: Reconnecting with what matters most, even when life feels altered by loss.

• Committed action: Taking small, meaningful steps that align with your values.

• Mindfulness: Staying present with grief while also noticing moments of peace or connection.

  
  

Together, these approaches create a balance: a safe relationship where your grief is honoured, and gentle practices that help you carry it forward with resilience.

🌸 Why This Matters

Grief often feels hidden in our culture. National Grief Awareness Week seeks to break that silence, and therapy can be part of that change. At Therapy with Lisa Wastney, you are offered:

• Confidentiality and safety — a space to speak freely without fear of burdening others.

• Relational support — a therapeutic relationship that steadies and holds.

• Hope through presence — not erasing pain, but discovering ways to live alongside it with care and meaning.

  
  

💬 Closing Reflection

Grief reshapes us. It alters our identity, our relationships, and our sense of the future. Therapy does not promise quick fixes — instead, it offers companionship on the journey. In the depth of winter, it helps you discover that “invincible summer” within: the capacity to endure, to grow, and to carry love forward.

If you are navigating grief, know that you are not alone. Therapy with Lisa Wastney offers a quiet, compassionate space to meet your feelings with care — not judgement.