I’m Willow Greenwood
Advanced Certified Grief Recovery Specialist
Helping You Grieve and Heal After a Pet Loss
Grief Support Groups
Action-based programs designed to help you heal after the loss of your pet
Pet Loss Newsletter
Receive tips, videos, and mini group invites to help after a loss
1-on-1 Grief Support
When you’re more comfortable in a 1-on-1 setting versus a group
Group Grief Support
Grief support groups to help you heal after a loss; death, job loss, moving, and many more types of loss
Pet Loss Grief Support
Grief support groups or individual sessions to help you heal after pet loss
When Children Grieve
Training to help parents, teachers, and other adults support young people experiencing grief
What Is Grief Recovery?
The Grief Recovery Method is an action-based grief program that helps people clear unresolved grief. We will guide you in learning the tools needed to process your grief-related emotions, with the goal of regaining hope and purpose in life. With these skills, you can begin to resolve other losses.
Who Is The Program For?
The loss of a pet can be emotionally devastating. Sadly, the impact of this type of loss is often downplayed or ignored by friends and family. The minimization can make it harder to recover from the loss. This 6-meeting program is designed to help you move through and beyond your grief in a safe space.
The 6 Myths About Grief
We learn how to react to loss from the time we are young. Think back to the things you might have heard or observed when you’ve lost a pet in the past. If you can, especially try to remember a loss from when you were a child.
What did the adults around you say about loss or death? How did the adults behave? As we grow, we follow these patterns.
Many of the coping suggestions are unhelpful or hurtful. The six listed here are the most common myths.
1. Don't Feel Bad
It is estimated that by the time a child grows into an adult, they have been told this phrase over 20,000 times. Isn’t it interesting that it has never made any of us feel better? We have a range of emotions, from happy to sad, and need to be able to express them all.
2. Replace the Loss
After we hear the first myth, we often hear something like, “We’ll get you a new puppy”. We then learn to follow this pattern in many other areas of our life.
3. Grieve Alone
Do you remember being upset and crying as a child? If so, you may also remember being told to go to your room, until you were better. Unfortunately, this teaches us not to share our sad feelings.
4. Time Heals All Wounds
If that were the case, we’d all be healed by now, right? We may adapt to a loss, but we are often left wishing things could have been better or different.
5. Be Strong - Be Strong For Others
Many people hide their feelings—at least those that might be visible, such as tears and other displays of emotion. The problem lies in pushing away and covering up emotions connected to the death of someone important to us.
6. Keep Busy
Your content goes here. Edit or remove this text inline or in the module Content settings. You can also style every aspect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
My Path to Grief Recovery
I came to this work after the loss of my heart dog, Major Bunny. While seeking help from the pain, I found the Grief Recovery Institute. From the first moment, I realized I was in the right place at the right time. You may find you are too!
As I began the work, I became aware of all the grief in my life. There was so much I had never healed from or even begun to process. The Grief Recovery Institute’s research has shown that there are 40+ types of loss that can cause you to experience grief. Click here to learn more.
Testimonials
“When my husband passed away, it was painful to drive by places we went together. After working with Willow, I was able to eat at our favorite restaurant and enjoy the pleasant memories of us being there for special occasions.”
“A well meaning friend gave me a puppy after I lost my dog Morris. Morris and I had been together since I was in college, and he was my everything. I struggled to connect with the new puppy. He wasn’t my Morris. Willow helped me process the feelings of guilt of replacing Morris with a new puppy. This helped me accept Chester and I look forward to many years with him.”
You Don't Have to Wait Any Longer.