Grief Counseling

Clinical Review By:Clinically Reviewed By: Corey Pitts, MA, LCMHC

What is grief counseling?

Loss is a part of life, but that doesn’t make it any less difficult. Navigating life without your loved one may seem difficult or impossible, and the loss often brings up a mix of emotions that can be hard to control on your own. 

Grief counseling, sometimes referred to as bereavement counseling, is a type of therapy that aims to help people through the different stages and emotions that people feel after losing a loved one. The grieving process is different for everyone, but grief therapy can give you support for adjusting to the loss you experienced and facing the road ahead.

Grief counselors are licensed mental health professionals who help people process loss. Depending on one's response to grief, therapy can be tailored to suit the specific needs of how grief impacts you. During sessions, the client and counselor generally focus on coping strategies and processing emotions. 

General therapy can also offer a short or long-term approach to loss that may help deal with particularly complicated grief symptoms or prolonged grief disorder (PGD).

What can grief counseling help with?

Grief counseling can help people address common grief reactions, such as:

• Intense sadness

• Emotional numbness

• Difficulty with daily functioning

• Anxiety, depression, or other mental health concerns connected to loss

People experiencing complicated grief might feel persistent yearning or difficulty accepting the loss even after some time has passed. Traumatic grief is a response to a sudden or violent loss that leaves you feeling debilitated or unable to function. It can lead to PGD, which is categorized as debilitating grief that persists for over a year in adults. 

Different therapeutic approaches may help with grief, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for altering negative thought patterns and grief counseling for personalized grief support. 

What are the stages of the grieving process?

The grieving process looks different for everyone, and there is no single "right" way to experience it. Current models like the Dual Process Model (Stroebe & Schut) describe how people naturally move between processing their loss and adapting to life changes. 

Worden's Four Tasks of Mourning frames grief as active work rather than fixed stages. 

Tonkin's Growing Around Grief model suggests that rather than grief shrinking, your life gradually grows around it. There is no set timeline, and you and your therapist can work through it at your own pace.

What is complicated grief?

Complicated grief is another name for PGD. This is defined as persistent grief you feel after the passing of a loved one within the last year (six months for children) that makes daily functioning difficult. 

People with complicated grief are often fixated on their lost loved one and feel a deep longing or yearning for them, even though they know it’s not possible to see them again. PGD is recognized in the DSM-5 as a mental health condition. 

Complicated grief symptoms may include:

• Difficulty accepting the loss after an extended period of time

• Persistent longing or yearning that doesn’t go away with time

• Inability to engage in daily responsibilities

• Emotional numbness or bitterness

Grief may also be traumatic, associated with feelings of emotional agony. In some cases, professional support through grief counseling may help individuals process complicated or prolonged grief in a structured, supportive environment.

How can online grief counseling support mental health?

If you’re experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, trauma, or prolonged grief, or want someone to talk to about grief, you might consider seeking mental healthcare or professional grief counseling. Grief counseling, including online therapy, can be an effective tool to help people process their loss and the thoughts and emotions that come with it in a healthy way. 

Online grief counseling can be a particularly useful tool for those who find going to in-person therapy difficult because of their grief symptoms. Online therapy platforms like BetterHelp make communication between users and therapists easy for those who prefer doing therapy sessions from the comfort of their home. Once you are on the platform, you can talk with your therapist by using tools such as video, phone calls, live chat, and messaging. 

What happens in grief counseling?

Once you've built a trusting relationship with your grief counselor, they may ask you questions to assess your thoughts and feelings around the loss. Together, you can talk through emotions and memories related to the loss in order to let you talk about your loved one. This can give you the opportunity to remember the person in a safe space while working through the reality that they’re really gone, as well as dealing with complicated emotions, such as guilt or regret for things you think you should have done while they were alive.

You and your counselor can build a path toward adjustment and healing. One goal of grief therapy is to learn coping strategies and techniques that help you move forward in the grieving process while still holding on to the special memories that you share of your loved one.

How can someone find a grief counselor through BetterHelp?

After you sign up for BetterHelp, you fill out a short questionnaire to help match you with the right licensed professional on the platform for your needs. All counselors are accredited and have experience in varying fields, including grief counseling. 

BetterHelp offers individual counseling, as well as couples or teen counseling for those who want to work through a loss together. During sessions, you can use BetterHelp’s tools, including phone, video, and live chat, to connect with your therapist.

If you need help working through your grief, support is available. Reach out to BetterHelp to get started today. 

FAQs

Is grief counseling the same as bereavement counseling?

These terms are often used interchangeably; both refer to professional support for individuals experiencing loss, though bereavement counseling may focus more specifically on death-related loss.

Can grief counseling help with prolonged grief disorder?

Working with a grief counselor may be beneficial for those experiencing prolonged grief disorder, which is characterized by persistent and impairing grief symptoms lasting a year or more.

Is online grief counseling as effective as in-person therapy?

Research suggests that online grief counseling may be a safe and effective option for people experiencing grief, depression, and related mental health concerns after loss.

Does BetterHelp offer grief counseling?

Yes. BetterHelp can match individuals with licensed therapists who provide grief counseling and bereavement support through flexible online sessions.