In this month's opening episode, Jessica introduces April's theme: grief — and challenges the widely-held belief that grief only belongs to death. Drawing on clinical definitions and her own therapeutic lens, she explores how grief shows up across a wide range of losses, why unacknowledged grief doesn't disappear, and what it means to finally name what you're carrying. She also introduces the concept of disenfranchised grief and invites listeners into a simple but powerful reflective practice to close out the episode.

What You'll Hear in This Episode:

1. Why grief extends far beyond death and loss of life
2. The clinical definition of grief and what counts as a "significant loss"
3. Examples of losses that often go unrecognized: identity shifts, relationship changes, unmet expectations, life transitions
4. What happens when grief goes unnamed and unprocessed — and how it shows up sideways
5. An introduction to disenfranchised grief: what it is and why it matters
6. How unacknowledged grief can become prolonged grief
7. The power of naming and witnessing as the first act of healing
8. A reflective prompt to take with you this week

This Week's Reflective Prompt: What is one thing I'm grieving that I've never called grief?

You don't have to say it out loud. Write it in a journal, a note on your phone, or sit with it quietly. Naming it is the first step.

Coming Up Next Week: Jessica goes deeper into disenfranchised grief — the losses nobody validated — and what happens psychologically when grief goes without witness.

Connect & Stay Connected:

📩 Sign up for the newsletter at healingismyhobby.com 📬 Contact Jessica: healingismyhobby.com 📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healingismyhobby/ ▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@healingismyhobby 🩺 Clinical practice: jessicacolarcolcsw.com

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