What is Grief Counseling?

Grief counseling is a supportive, therapeutic process that helps individuals navigate the deep emotional pain and disruption caused by loss. Whether you’re grieving the death of a loved one, the end of a relationship, a job loss, or even the loss of a dream, our approach at Holistically Divine Counseling (HDC) meets you where you are with empathy, non-judgment, and holistic care.

Defining Grief Counseling and Its Goals

At HDC, our grief counseling services aim to help you:

• Understand the grief process in all its complexity
• Express your emotions safely and authentically
• Rewrite and rebuild a new narrative of your life while honoring your loss
• Strengthen coping skills that support long-term emotional wellness
• Rewrite a new narrative

Benefits of Seeking Grief Counseling

• Emotional validation and relief from isolation
• Reduced anxiety, guilt, or overwhelming sadness
• A personalized roadmap to healing
• Support in navigating life transitions after loss
• Tools for maintaining wellness while honoring your loved one

Understanding the Grieving Process

Grief is deeply personal and not linear. While the popular 5 or 7 stages of grief (e.g., denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance) offer a framework, most people move in and out of these experiences fluidly. HDC aligns with the Dual Process Model of Grief, which explains that healing includes:

• Loss-oriented coping: Feeling, remembering, expressing, and honoring what was lost
• Restoration-oriented coping: Rebuilding routines, exploring new roles, and reinvesting in life

Healing involves oscillation, moving between grief and growth. Both are essential.

Common Symptoms and Experiences of Grief

• Emotional: sadness, anger, guilt, loneliness, numbness
• Physical: fatigue, sleep disturbances, appetite changes
• Mental: confusion, forgetfulness, disbelief
• Spiritual: questioning beliefs, seeking deeper meaning

Debunking Myths About Grief and Loss

• Myth: Grief should follow a timeline.
• Truth: Grief is unique. There is no deadline for healing.

• Myth: You need to be strong for others.
• Truth: Vulnerability is strength. Your pain is valid.

• Myth: If you’re still grieving after a few months, something’s wrong.
• Truth: Some losses shift our entire identity and take longer to process.

A Personalized View of Grief

We honor the individuality of your grief. Whether you’re confronting shock and denial, anger and bargaining, or slowly finding your upward turn, we create a space where you are supported.

When to Consider Grief Counseling

Recognizing Signs You May Benefit from Grief Counseling

You don’t have to wait until you’re overwhelmed. Counseling is helpful when:

• You feel stuck in sadness or numbness.
• Your grief is impacting your sleep, appetite, hygiene, or functioning.
• You’re avoiding people, responsibilities, or self-care.
• You need support beyond what friends or family can offer.

Grief Counseling for Different Types of Loss

Grief can follow many kinds of losses, including:

• Death of a loved one
• Divorce or relationship transitions
• Miscarriage or infertility
• Job loss, financial instability, or retirement
• Loss of identity, health, or future dreams
• Loss of a pet
• Major life transitions

Is Grief Counseling Right for You?

If you’re wondering whether your grief “qualifies,” we invite you to release that pressure. If you’re hurting, we’re here. Our therapists honor all forms of loss with gentleness, helping you explore your pain and rediscover your path forward.

Effective Grief Counseling Techniques and Approaches

Common Therapeutic Interventions in Grief Counseling

At HDC, we use an integrative, humanistic model grounded in empathy, presence, and collaboration. Techniques may include:

• Narrative therapy: honoring your story of love and loss.
• Emotion-focused therapy: helping you move through difficult feelings.
• Mindfulness and somatic practices: grounding the body during grief.
• Interpersonal Therapy (IPT): Addressing how grief impacts relationships and helping you strengthen support systems and social connection.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Supporting you in making room for grief while reconnecting with your values and taking steps toward a meaningful life.

Self-Help Strategies to Complement Grief Counseling

Outside of sessions, we recommend:

• Journaling or expressive writing
• Mindful walks or grounding practices
• Listening to music or creating memory rituals
• Limiting overwhelm with gentle structure
• Connecting with trusted friends or communities
• Engage in grief support groups
• Letter writing to grief

What to Expect in Your First Grief Counseling Session

Preparing for Your Initial Consultation

You don’t need to come with a script. Just come as you are. We may explore:

• What you’ve lost and how it’s affected you
• What support you have (and what you need)
• How you’re currently coping
• What healing might look like for you

Additional Grief Support Resources

Recommended Books for Grief Support

• Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief by Dr. Joanne Cacciatore (Author), Jeffrey Rubin (Foreword)
• It’s Ok That You’re Not Ok: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture that Doesn’t Understand
  By Megan Devine
• Grief is Love: Living With Loss By Marisa Renee Lee

Websites for Grief Support

Good Grief
Offers information, educational resources on grief and grieving.

Grief Share
Resource to find virtual and local support groups

Coping with Grief Long-Term and Maintaining Well-Being

Grief is an individual and personal journey. At HDC, we strive to provide intentional healing treatment plans which offer space to process and care for yourself as you navigate through life’s darkest moments.

Grief is not something you “get over,” but learn to live alongside. Grief highlights the love in our lives and acknowledges that much of life is loss. Our hope is that in healing we can access how we may find comfort in the memory of that love or experience.

Profound life experiences change us. Our counselors will support you in processing this life event and learn coping mechanisms while navigating the difference in how you may show up in the world. In such tumultuous seasons, it is necessary to protect and continue healthy routines and habits as a component of healing.