Grief is a normal response to change, particularly change that involves some type of loss, Grief counseling can be helpful at many points in the grieving process, depending on the individual's needs, the type of loss, and how grief is impacting daily life. It may be especially beneficial when feeling stuck in grief, isolated, misunderstood, prolonged difficulty functioning, and every day life.
Grief is most often associated with the death of a loved one, but many forms of grief arise from non-death losses—experiences that disrupt a person's sense of normalcy, identity, security, or connection. Here are several types of grief not associated with death: Grief unassociated with death can take many forms. Anticipatory grief arises when someone expects a future loss, Disenfranchised grief occurs when the loss isn’t socially acknowledged or validated, Ambiguous loss happens when someone is physically present but psychologically absent (e.g., dementia), or vice versa (e.g., missing persons). Relational grief may follow a breakup, divorce, or estrangement. Identity grief emerges from major life changes, such as retirement, aging, or coming out. Loss of dreams can bring grief when life doesn’t go as planned,. Collective grief is shared by communities or societies after events like natural disasters or mass violence. Existential grief involves mourning meaning, purpose, or faith during life transitions or crises.
The following approaches to grief can be tailored to your needs and can be combined for holistic healing.
Traditional grief counseling focuses on helping individuals process and adapt to loss using psychological approaches. It often includes talk therapy, emotional support, coping strategies, and education about the grieving process. The goal is to help clients move through grief in a healthy, supportive way and reintegrate into life.
Spiritual grief counseling addresses grief through a spiritual or faith-based lens. It may involve exploring questions about meaning, purpose, afterlife beliefs, and connection to something greater. This approach can include prayer, meditation, scripture, or spiritual rituals, depending on the client’s beliefs, and is often led by a faith leader or a spiritually integrated therapist.
IADC Therapy is a brief, intensive intervention for grieving clients. The protocol targets the clients’ sadness associated with their loss. In a majority of cases, clients will experience a perception of connection with their deceased loved-one, resulting in a profoundly healing transformation of their grief.