Grief makes the world feel unfamiliar. One day, your life has a consistent shape and structure. Then someone or something important to you is gone. Abruptly, normal activities and routines feel heavier than they should. This is when grief therapy can really make a difference.
Some people move through grief in time. Others lean on family, receive spiritual care, and find support from their community. Still, some of us get stuck.
We may replay the same details over and over. Or maybe we avoid seeing certain places or talking about certain topics. We may feel unable to function, or life may feel split into before and after.
Professional grief support is not about forgetting someone you lost or forcing yourself to move on. It’s about learning how to live with the loss without losing yourself.
Several grief treatment options are available because each person may need different support. The right option for you depends on many factors, including:[1][2][3]
Grief is a natural reaction to loss. During the first weeks and months, it is common to:[2][3]
These reactions may come and go like waves. Someone may feel okay one moment and overwhelmed the next.
For some people, coping with grief gradually becomes less painful over time. But what if grief doesn’t go away? What if it interferes with your life? It’s important to know when to seek help for grief.
When someone you love dies, your relationship with life changes. If needed, therapy for grief can guide you through that change in a supportive and clinically informed way. Grief therapy can help you:[2][4]
Grief counseling and grief therapy are terms often used interchangeably. Grief counseling can be supportive and help you work through grief in healthy ways.
Before determining a treatment plan, a grief therapist may:[2][3]
Bereavement therapy may also help when grief is connected to the death of a loved one, while broader therapy is best for major life changes. This matters because bereavement following a loved one’s long illness will look different than grief following a sudden accident.
Loss of a spouse will look different than loss of a parent. Grief over losing a child, pregnancy, friendship, job, home, identity, or any other meaningful person or thing in your life will look different, too.
No two people experience grief exactly the same way. And the best types of grief therapy will not try to rush your grieving process or make your grief go away. Instead, it will allow you to understand your unique grief experience and provide support that fits what you need.
There are several types of therapy that may be used in grief therapy. Here, we explain each type and what it involves.
CBT, also known as cognitive behavioral therapy, helps people become aware of thoughts and behaviors that may be stopping them from moving through grief. After a significant loss, your mind may focus on blaming yourself or feeling hopeless.[3][5]
Thoughts like “I should have known,” “I failed them,” “I will never feel okay again,” or “If I enjoy anything, that means I’ve forgotten them” are common. But these thoughts will not help you heal. CBT can help you work through these feelings of guilt and fear.
During CBT, a therapist may help you work through regret by identifying what you could control and what you couldn’t. You will slowly rebuild your life without letting grief consume every part of it.
CBT can also help you process avoided topics, like looking at photos of your loved one or facing places that remind you of them. Exposure to these triggers will be done slowly and with your therapist’s guidance. Grief recovery does not mean forgetting the loss. It means learning how to live with the loss without letting it consume you.
Studies have shown that grief-specific CBT is effective when treating adults with prolonged grief symptoms. CBT for grief usually includes:[3][5]
PGT is an effective form of therapy for people struggling with prolonged grief symptoms. It combines different types of therapy, such as CBT and interpersonal psychotherapy.[3][4]
Prolonged grief disorder (PGD), also called complicated grief, is a formal diagnosis used when grief remains persistent, impairing, and distressing well after someone dies. This happens when the grieving process becomes stuck.[1][2]
A person is not “bad at grieving” for experiencing complicated grief. Certain circumstances can make PGD more likely, such as:
Prolonged grief disorder treatment will allow you to work through:
A therapist will encourage you to talk about your feelings after your loss. You will discuss:
You will be encouraged to reconnect to relationships, responsibilities, and activities as they gain meaning for you again.
Reconnecting does not mean you are forgetting your loved one. Healing from grief allows you to hold love for your lost loved one without being controlled by your grief.
AMFM is here to help you or your loved one take the next steps towards an improved mental well-being.
Losses that bring back other traumatic events from your past may cause complex grief.[2][3]
Complicated grief treatment combines elements of CBT with interpersonal psychotherapy. Therapy sessions are typically structured and organized. Clients are given the opportunity to revisit the story of their loss and discuss what they are avoiding.
You may begin setting goals for your life again and reconnect with supportive people in your life.
During treatment, you will not be asked to stop grieving your loss. Instead, you will be provided with the space to grieve your loss while also rebuilding your life.
Not all grief is situational. Sometimes we grieve because of traumatic losses. Traumatic grief can be triggered by:
If the death was sudden or violent, it’s not uncommon to experience anxiety, panic, or intrusive thoughts about the loss.
Someone who had to say goodbye to their loved one after watching them suffer may also experience traumatic grief.
Trauma-informed grief therapy will help you understand that your nervous system may still be on high alert because of your loss. You may avoid certain places or sounds that trigger memories of your loss.
Traditional grief counseling may not be effective if you are experiencing trauma symptoms.
But Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can help you process traumatic grief and loss. During EMDR therapy, you will work through:[6]
The goal is to allow your brain to store memories without you feeling the same level of distress.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is an effective treatment that helps people deal with the emotional turmoil of grief. You will learn how to accept your grieving emotions and still move toward your values and what feels important to you.[3]
Imagine you’re at a family member’s wedding without your deceased significant other. You may experience intense waves of grief when you think about not having your spouse there to celebrate with you.
Through ACT, you will learn how to identify those emotions, name them, and choose to be present because being around loved ones is something you value.
Someone else might feel overwhelming guilt when they start laughing again. They may feel like they’re betraying their lost loved one by doing something joyful.
Through ACT, you can learn that it’s okay to laugh and experience joy again, even when you’re grieving.
Losing someone can make you ask questions like, “Who am I now?” “What is my purpose?”
Suddenly, life as you once knew it is gone. You may no longer identify as a spouse, parent, caregiver, or anything else that felt like part of your identity.
A narrative therapist can help you make sense of your loss and what your new identity is now.
Your therapist may ask you to tell the story of your loss and what your relationship with your loved one meant to you. Talking about who they were, what you enjoyed together, and what you miss about them can help you remember your story while beginning to tell the story of who you are now.
Making sense of your loss does not mean you have to feel like your loss was okay or deserved to happen. Instead, it allows you to live in a way that honors your loss while still moving forward.
Grief can make you feel like you lost your normal support system along with your loved one. You may join a grief support group to process your loss with others. Support groups can come in person or online. Both can be helpful.[7]
Research on grief support groups has found they can help improve symptoms of grief and depression. Online grief support groups are a great way to connect with others who may be experiencing similar feelings of loss.[8]
Isolation can worsen your grief, so even if you do not feel like talking, being around others can allow you to feel grounded in your new reality.
Support groups vary from general groups to specific types of loss. Some support groups are specific to sudden loss. Others can be specific to the loss of a spouse, child, parent, friend, pregnancy, or suicide.
If your loss is a rare illness, looking for groups specific to your loss can provide you with support from others who understand what you’re going through.
Online grief support groups are a good temporary fix if you’re feeling particularly isolated. However, they should not replace seeing a therapist if you’re experiencing severe symptoms of grief.[8]
Support groups are not a replacement for individual therapy if your grief is severe. But they can be used alongside outpatient therapy or in residential settings.
Sometimes people experience grief that can be supported with weekly therapy. Other times, someone may experience grief that feels unbearable to live with every day. Residential treatment for grief is helpful when weekly therapy is not enough to keep someone safe, stable, or able to function.
If you find yourself experiencing suicidal ideation, hopelessness, or being unable to perform daily tasks because of your grief, you may benefit from residential treatment.
Inpatient grief treatment can provide you with:
Residential treatment programs enable you to be around others who are grieving while allowing clinical professionals to keep you safe.
If you feel overwhelmed with grief, you do not have to figure out what type of treatment you need. A therapist can help guide you through your treatment options.
A Mission For Michael (AMFM) provides treatment for adults experiencing various conditions. Grief support is a phone call away – call 866-478-4383 to learn about our current treatment options.
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At AMFM (A Mission For Michael) Mental Health Treatment, we understand that grief does not affect everyone in the same way. Our expert clinicians provide mental health treatment for grief, depression, anxiety, trauma, and related symptoms that can follow a major loss. We believe in treatment persistence and will personalize your treatment plan so you can achieve lasting, life-changing outcomes.
We offer an intimate, focused treatment experience for adults in home-like settings that are carefully maintained to be peaceful, comfortable spaces. AMFM Mental Health Treatment provides the full spectrum of care, including residential and outpatient treatment programs.
Our locations in California, Minnesota, and Virginia accept insurance and are in-network with most major providers. To check your insurance coverage for mental health care, simply complete our confidential online verification form or call us at 866-478-4383.
Reach out to us if you would like to start the admissions process or learn more about how we can support your mental well-being. You do not have to have anything figured out when you contact us. Our caring team is here to help you find the right treatment for your needs.
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