Grief may be deeply personal, but it never happens in isolation.
Within a family, one loss can create many different grief experiences. One person withdraws. Another needs to talk. A child may crave routine while a parent feels shattered. The same absence. Different expressions.
In this third episode of our four-part educational series, Gwen Kapcia (grief-guide.com) gently explores what happens when individual grief meets family dynamics. Communication becomes fragile. Expectations go unspoken. Roles begin to shift. And yet — even in the disorientation — families can find steadiness again.
She reminds us that children still need to be children. That routine can be reassuring. That shared acknowledgement of the loss matters. And that compromise, though difficult, can hold a family together in the tender early days.
We also step into the emotions many carry quietly.
Anger that feels sharp and unfamiliar.
Guilt that replays old decisions.
Shame that whispers lies.
Jealousy of those who have not experienced loss.
Questions about identity — who am I now?
These emotions are not failures. They are human responses to love and devastation.
If you have felt alone inside your grief — especially within your own family — this conversation offers reassurance that what you are experiencing is not wrong. It offers language for what feels unspeakable, permission for what feels complicated, and gentle hope that families can grow toward one another again — even after the unimaginable. Healing may not look the way it once did, but connection, understanding, and meaning are still possible.
*If you would a coupon like code for resources or private sessions with Gwen, please email either marcy@andysmom.com or gwen@grief-guide.com
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