Grief Counseling
What is grief?
Grief is a deeply personal journey that often defies explanation. It’s not just about feeling sad; it’s a whirlwind of emotions that can catch you off guard. You might find yourself oscillating between anger, guilt, confusion, and even moments of joy when you remember happier times.
In navigating grief, recognize that there’s no right or wrong way to feel. Each person’s experience is unique, shaped by their relationships, experiences, and even their coping mechanisms. Some days, you might feel like you’re making progress, and other days, it can feel like you’re right back at square one. This ebb and flow can be disorienting, but it’s all part of the process.
Ultimately, grief is a testament to love and connection. It shows how deeply we care for those we’ve lost and how their absence shapes our lives. Embracing this complexity can lead to a deeper understanding of yourself and your relationships as you navigate this challenging journey. Remember, it’s okay to take your time; healing doesn’t have a timeline.
What about complicated grief?
Not all grief is about losing someone you love. Complicated grief, often referred to as “disenfranchised grief” or “unexplained grief,” is the experience of intense feelings of loss without a clear or acknowledged cause. If you find intense feelings of unexplained grief coming up for you, it may be an echo from your past, signaling unresolved childhood trauma. Unresolved early life adverse experiences can be difficult to pinpoint, but leave you feeling at a loss as to how to explain the grief you feel now. Grief can also unexpectedly arise from various situations, including:
Loss of a dream
Grieving the loss of a hoped-for future, such as infertility or unfulfilled ambitions. Too often we pressure ourselves to push through and move on when things don’t work out as we’d hoped, which can lead to depression and low self-worth.
Difficulty with decision-making
Are you someone who has a really hard time making decisions? You’re not alone. We don’t usually acknowledge to ourselves that making a choice means both saying “yes” to one thing, while simultaneously saying, “no” to everything else! Indecision is often a way to avoid having to feel the grief that comes with letting go.
Life transitions
All of life’s transitions represent letting in something new while letting go of something familiar. Even if you’re welcoming in something you desire, you’re going through a change, morphing into a newer version of yourself. Mourning the self you are leaving behind is an important way to honor yourself and fully embrace this new you.
How Grief Counseling at Sentient Psychotherapy Can Help
You may worry about burdening others with your feelings. You may think that you should be “over” your grief or concerned that it will never end. You may be confused or ashamed by your intense anger. Your loss may be creating shifts inside of you that feel overwhelming as you try to integrate this new reality; who are you now?
Whether you’re mourning over the death of a beloved person or pet in your life, a broken relationship, the loss of a job, or even the collective, ongoing grief from the impact of climate change, war or cultural dysfunction, grief counseling at Sentient Psychotherapy will provide you a safe space to explore and process your complex emotions. Our therapists are highly trained and capable of holding space for all of your feelings.
Through mindfulness-based, multiculturally-focused grief counseling at Sentient, therapy will bring relief in the following ways:
Validation of Feelings: There is no one “right way” to experience grief. Your Sentient psychotherapist is here to help you understand that your emotions—whether sadness, anger, or confusion—are a normal and valid part of the grieving process.
Safe Space for Expression: Whether you’re seeing your therapist online or in-person at our Lower Manhattan office, we offer a confidential and calming environment where you can express your feelings without judgment. Talking about your loss can be cathartic and help you mourn. Even more important, is to be able to feel your grief as deeply as possible in connection with a caring counselor.
Coping Strategies: Grieving is not an easy process. And yet, life goes on. You probably have to find ways to keep going even while making space in your life to grieve. Your Sentient psychotherapist can equip you with tools and strategies to cope with overwhelming emotions in ways that will help you through the process. This might include mindfulness techniques, grounding exercises, and methods for reframing unhelpful thoughts.
Understanding the Stages of Grief: We’re here to guide you through the different stages of grief, helping you recognize that it’s not a linear process. From denial, anger and depression towards acceptance, understanding these stages and recognizing them within yourself can normalize your experience. You’re definitely not alone; loss is a profound, shared human experience.
Navigating Change: Loss often brings about significant life changes. Seeking help to adjust to these changes, fostering resilience and helping you find new ways to move forward is what we do.
Finding Meaning: As you mourn, you and your therapist will explore finding meaning in your loss and how to integrate that into your life moving forward. Many times when we experience loss today, it activates memories and emotions of loss from childhood, which can amplify the experience. Working on resolving and integrating your adverse childhood experiences may be a meaningful outcome of your therapy.
Why choose grief counseling at Sentient Psychotherapy?
Soldiering on alone following a traumatic loss can unfortunately make things even worse.
Untreated grief can lead to chronic depression, unhelpful coping like over-eating, relying on substances, or disengaging from work and relationships. Time unfortunately does not heal all wounds.
It’s not easy to reach out, but we’re here to help ease the process. We will check your insurance coverage for our services and work within your budget so you can stop searching and start therapy. Grief counseling at Sentient Psychotherapy starts as low as $50 per session.
From the moment you contact us, you will feel the difference we make. There’s nothing worse than reaching out for help and not receiving a response when you need it. We know that by the time you reach out, you’re ready to begin, which is why most clients are scheduled within the week.
Stop hurting and start healing
Stop hurting and start healingSentient psychotherapists are trained in ACT, CBT, trauma-informed and multiculturally-focused grief counseling. No matter where you are in your mourning, we’re ready to meet you where you’re at, and move forward together.
As soon as you contact us, our client services team will get back to you on the same day and guide you seamlessly through your questions regarding insurance and fees for therapy. We will pair you with a therapist who best meets your needs, both clinically and financially.
Choosing to face your loss head on is hard enough. The way there should be as painless as possible.
Complete the form below or call us now at 646-586-3311 and let’s begin your journey to healing together.