Grief Counseling

Grief counseling supports people moving through bereavement, anticipatory grief, or other major losses. Care attends to the relationship that was lost, the routines that have changed, and the way grief shows up across mood, sleep, energy, and meaning.

• Psychotherapy
• Psychoeducation
• Behavioral Activation

What to expect

• The death of a family member, partner, friend, or other close person.
• Anticipatory grief during a serious illness, hospice care, or expected loss.
• Grief that has felt stuck, intense, or persistent in ways that interfere with daily functioning.
• Loss that overlaps with depression, anxiety, trauma symptoms, or relationship strain.

Approaches we use

• Structured space to talk about the relationship, the loss, and what continues to matter.
• Education about common grief patterns, prolonged grief considerations, and the difference between grief and depression.
• Behavioral activation approaches to gently rebuild routines, social contact, and meaningful activity.
• Coordination with primary care or psychiatric review when sleep, mood, or anxiety symptoms warrant additional support.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
• Internal Family Systems (IFS)

Who this helps

• Adults grieving a recent or older loss that still feels close.
• Caregivers and family members supporting someone through serious illness.
• People whose grief has begun to affect work, relationships, or basic functioning.
• Individuals comparing therapy options for complicated, traumatic, or prolonged grief.

Frequently asked questions

• How long does grief counseling typically last?

  Length varies by the nature of the loss, the person's goals, and progress over time. Some people use a short series of sessions for support; others use longer-term work for prolonged or complicated grief.
• Is grief the same as depression?

  Grief and depression overlap but are not identical. A clinician can help sort what is grief, what may be depression, and what may benefit from additional supports such as medication review.
• When is grief considered prolonged or complicated?

  Prolonged grief is a clinical pattern in which intense longing, identity disruption, or impaired functioning persists well past the early period after a loss. It is recognized in current diagnostic frameworks and may benefit from focused therapy.