therapyforwomencenter.com
Therapy for Women
Grief Counseling
Grief is a deeply personal and often complex journey. Maybe you’ve recently lost someone or something and the pain feels unbearable. While it’s a natural response to loss, it can also be incredibly challenging to navigate on your own. We can grieve many things beyond just death. If you’re feeling stuck in your grief or unsure how to move forward, you may be considering seeking help from a grief therapist.
Get StartedAre you struggling to cope with a significant loss?
- Do you feel overwhelmed by waves of sadness that seem to come out of nowhere?
- Has your grief left you feeling isolated and disconnected from those around you?
- Are you finding it difficult to imagine a future without your loved one?
Grief can profoundly impact every aspect of your life.
Grief symptoms look different from person to person, but for the most part, the experience is characterized by intense emotions and thoughts that make it difficult to do your job, perform daily tasks, and regulate your stress levels. You might become so preoccupied with your loss—replaying memories, questioning past decisions, or imagining “what if” scenarios—that you have little time or energy left for anything else. Yet the more you try to push away these feelings, the more powerful they may become.
If you want to navigate your grief and loss in a healthy way and learn to integrate your experience into your life moving forward, we encourage you to pursue grief counseling with us. At Therapy for Women Center in Philadelphia, our mission is to help you gradually process your emotions so that you can feel more empowered and stop letting grief get in the way of living your life.
Grief is one of the most universal yet misunderstood human experiences.
Grief is a natural response to loss, but few people actually realize how profound and long-lasting its effects can be. For many, there’s an expectation that grief should follow a predictable pattern or timeline. You may have heard phrases like, “It’s been six months, shouldn’t you be over it by now?”
While feeling sad after a loss is universally recognized, grief is so much more than that. Many people experiencing grief suffer from a wide range of emotions including anger, guilt, anxiety, and even moments of relief. They might worry about forgetting their loved one, struggle with a loss of identity, or grapple with existential questions about life and death. The spectrum of grief-related experiences is far and wide, yet because of how misunderstood grief is, very few people get the help they need.
In fact, while grief is a normal response to loss, some people experience complicated grief, where the intensity of their symptoms doesn’t improve over time. This is why it’s so vital to seek professional support. A therapist who specializes in grief therapy can help you understand both what’s normal in the grieving process and when you might need extra support. And once you have a better understanding of your grief journey, navigating it becomes much easier.
Get StartedGrief therapy can help you process your loss and find meaning in life again.
No matter how hard you try, you can’t think your way out of grief because of its deeply emotional nature. Grief has a way of convincing you that, in order to honor your loss or protect yourself from further pain, you need to hold onto your suffering. But the more you resist the natural grieving process, the more stuck you may become.
The goal of grief therapy is to help you increase your ability to tolerate the difficult emotions that come with loss so that you’re not overwhelmed by them. This way, you can process your grief without having to numb your feelings, isolate yourself, or engage in other behaviors that ultimately prolong your suffering.
Our therapists provide expert grief counseling for people struggling with all types of losses, including the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, job loss, or major life transitions. We know that grief can feel isolating and overwhelming to talk about, but we are well-versed in supporting individuals through their unique grief journeys and will not judge you for your feelings or experiences.
Our goal is to provide a compassionate, accepting atmosphere where you can learn new skills for managing, expressing, and integrating your grief.
Get StartedOur approach to grief therapy:
We draw from several evidence-based therapeutic modalities to provide comprehensive grief counseling:
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: This approach can be particularly helpful in processing traumatic aspects of loss and alleviating symptoms of complicated grief.
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): ACT can help you learn to accept painful emotions and thoughts related to your loss while committing to actions that align with your values and goals.
- Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): DBT skills can be valuable in managing intense emotions, improving relationships, and building resilience during the grieving process.
- Internal Family Systems (IFS): IFS can help you identify and work with the different parts of yourself that are struggling with loss. For example, one part might be overwhelmed with sadness, while another might feel guilty for moving on. IFS allows clients to acknowledge and honor these various aspects of their grief experience, fostering self-compassion and healing.
Throughout your grief therapy journey, we’ll work together to help you process your loss in a healthy way. Our focus will be on validating your emotions and experiences, while also helping you develop coping strategies to manage the intense feelings that often accompany grief. We’ll guide you in finding ways to honor your loved one’s memory and integrate your loss into your life story. Additionally, we’ll support you in reconnecting with others and rebuilding a sense of meaning and purpose. Our goal isn’t to “fix” your grief or make you forget your loss, but to help you find ways to carry your loved one with you as you move forward. We want to empower you to navigate your grief journey with self-compassion and resilience, gradually rediscovering joy and hope for the future.
Get StartedFrequently Asked Questions
There’s no “right” time to seek grief counseling. Some people find it helpful to start therapy soon after a loss, while others may not feel ready until months or even years later. Whether your loss is recent or in the past, if you’re struggling with your grief, it’s never too soon or too late to seek support.
The goal of grief therapy isn’t to “get over” your loss or forget your loved one. Instead, we aim to help you process your grief in a healthy way and find ways to honor your loved one’s memory as you gradually move forward in your life.
All losses are valid, whether it’s the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, the loss of a pet, or any other significant change in your life. Our grief specialists provide a non-judgmental space where you can freely express your feelings about your loss, no matter what form it takes.
In grief therapy, the goal isn’t to “let go” or “move on” from your loss. Instead, we aim to help you find ways to honor your loss while also moving forward in your life. We completely customize treatment based on your comfort level, ensuring that therapy always goes at a pace that’s right for you. Grief is a unique journey for everyone, and we respect that.
You don’t have to face grief alone.
Navigating grief can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to go through it by yourself. At Therapy for Women Center, we’re committed to providing compassionate, effective grief counseling to support you through this challenging time and help you find a path forward.
If you’re ready to take the first step towards healing, we’re here to support you. To learn more about our approach to grief therapy or to schedule an appointment with one of our grief specialists, you can contact us or click here. Your journey towards healing and hope starts here.
Kind Words From Real Patients
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Click here to get startedTherapy for Women is a team of therapists dedicated to helping you break free from negative patterns and live the life you always wanted. Serving Philadelphia and 42 states online.
