Everything feels different since your loss, and you’re tired of pretending you’re okay when you’re not. Grief counseling that recognizes every loss is different and every person grieves differently.
Grief isn’t supposed to last this long. At least that’s what everyone keeps telling you. It’s been months since your loss, and people expect you to be “back to normal” by now. But normal doesn’t exist anymore. Everything feels different, and you’re tired of pretending you’re okay when you’re not.
Loss changes everything, not just your emotions. Your sleep is disrupted, appetite changes, and the depression that often accompanies grief can make daily tasks feel impossible. Even good days feel guilty because you worry that feeling better means you’re forgetting what you lost. Grief counseling in Philadelphia helps when loss feels too big to handle alone and when well-meaning friends don’t understand why you’re still struggling.
Grief counseling helps you process loss without rushing through it or pretending you’re fine when you’re not. You learn that grief isn’t linear. It doesn’t follow stages and it doesn’t have a timeline. Some days you feel okay, other days the loss hits you like a truck. Both are normal.
After grief counseling, you understand that healing doesn’t mean forgetting or “getting over” what you lost. It means learning to carry the loss in a way that doesn’t overwhelm your ability to engage with life. You can remember what you lost without it consuming everything else.
You’ll develop tools for handling grief waves when they hit. Grief has a way of showing up at unexpected times – during holidays, when you hear certain songs, or when something reminds you of what you lost. Grief counseling teaches you how to ride these waves instead of getting knocked over by them. In cases where the loss was sudden, it might make sense to look into EMDR therapy in Philadelphia to process the trauma.
Our Approach to Grief Counseling
Our grief counseling approach recognizes that every loss is different and every person grieves differently. We don’t try to rush you through stages or tell you how long grief should take. We meet you where you are and help you process your specific loss in your own way.
We help you understand that complicated emotions are normal with grief. You might feel angry at the person who died for leaving you. You might feel guilty about times you weren’t there or things you said. You might feel relief if the relationship was difficult. All of these feelings can exist together.
Grief counseling includes practical support for handling daily life when grief makes everything harder. We work on managing triggers, navigating the ways family members grieve differently, and figuring out how to function when you don’t feel like yourself.
What to Expect in Sessions
Grief counseling sessions happen regularly, though some people need more frequent support during acute grief periods. We start by understanding your specific loss and how it’s affecting your daily life.
You’ll learn about different types of grief and why yours might feel complicated or different from what you expected. We talk about anticipatory grief that happens before a loss, complicated grief that feels stuck, and disenfranchised grief that others don’t recognize as valid.
We work on developing coping strategies for difficult days. This might include grounding techniques for when grief feels overwhelming, ways to handle triggers, or strategies for getting through special dates like birthdays or anniversaries.
Between sessions, you might work on grief-related activities like writing letters to the person you lost, creating memory books, or gradually re-engaging with activities you’ve been avoiding since your loss.
Areas We Serve
We offer grief counseling across Philadelphia, from Old City and Society Hill to West Philadelphia and Germantown. Grief doesn’t follow neighborhood lines, and neither do we.
Our practice supports families in Manayunk, Mount Airy, and East Passyunk, as well as individuals in Point Breeze, Kensington, and Bella Vista who need specialized grief care.
Clients from the suburbs, including Jenkintown, Narberth, and Swarthmore, often seek our services when they need someone who truly understands the complexities of loss.
When grief makes it hard to leave home, we offer video sessions for continuing clients—because sometimes, getting dressed and heading out just isn’t possible.
Philadelphia Counseling Office
In the heart of Center City Philadelphia, our office offers you convenient access to expert care. With flexible appointment times to accommodate your busy schedule, we’re committed to making your counseling journey as seamless as possible. Also offering online counseling in PA and NJ.
Ready to get support for your grief? Schedule a consultation to discuss your specific loss and see if grief counseling is right for you. Grief doesn’t follow a timeline, and you don’t have to handle it alone.
