How Can Grief Therapy Help You After A Loss?
You might think of grief as something you have to work through on your own, but having mental health support may make the grieving process easier to manage. While a therapist might not be able to eliminate the pain of the loss, several forms of therapy may be effective for coping with grief.
What is grief?
Grief is a reaction to losing someone or something important to you, whether a friend, family member, pet, or relationship. While it’s understood that losses like these can cause feelings of profound sadness, other possible symptoms of grief might be less familiar to you. Some examples include:
- Feelings of denial, anger, or guilt
- Uncertainty about the future
- A sense of purposelessness
- Irritability or mood swings
- Challenges in your close relationships
- Headaches, nausea, or muscle pain
- Fatigue
- Trouble sleeping
- Weight loss or weight gain
These symptoms tend to be most intense during the acute stage of grief, which usually occurs during the first few months after a loss. As time passes, you may notice that your emotions and thoughts become easier to manage, although you may still feel sadness, especially when you’re reminded of the loss—for example, on an anniversary or birthday, or when you return to a place that the deceased loved. Seeking support in managing the symptoms of acute grief is a common reason for attending grief therapy.
Exploring other types of grief
There are various types of grief that you might seek help for in therapy. These forms of grief may develop depending on when and how the loss happened, your mental health history, and other factors. Examples of specific types of grief include the following.
Complicated grief
Complicated grief, also known as “prolonged grief disorder,” is a term for when the symptoms of grief don’t improve over time without treatment. Prolonged grief disorder can make it hard to move forward after a loss, leading to lasting loneliness, numbness, or the feeling that you lack a purpose in life. When you’re living with complicated grief, you may struggle to manage your responsibilities at work and at home.
Traumatic grief
When you lose someone suddenly and unexpectedly or witness a loved one die in a traumatic way, you may be at risk of traumatic grief. Traumatic grief can cause symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), such as intrusive memories, and may last longer than typical grief. Other possible symptoms of traumatic grief include shock, numbness, and a sense of meaninglessness in life.
Anticipatory grief
Anticipatory grief is grief that starts before a loss has actually happened—for example, when a loved one is diagnosed with a terminal illness or you’re preparing to break up with your partner. People who know they are going to die soon might also experience anticipatory grief when they think about the family members or friends they may leave behind.
Collective grief
Grief can sometimes affect more than one person at once. When a tragedy like a war or natural disaster strikes a large group of people, the community as a whole may be left with feelings of confusion, hopelessness, and concern about the future.
Disenfranchised grief
While some types of loss are often met with sympathy and understanding, not all grief may receive this response. For example, losing a pet might not be met with the same support as losing a parent, even if the grief you feel is also very strong. This is called disenfranchised grief: grief that you might not feel comfortable expressing or that the people around you might not understand.
What is grief therapy, and what are its potential benefits?
Grief therapy, sometimes called grief counseling or bereavement therapy, is a type of talk therapy designed to help people who are going through the grieving process. Grief therapy can take place in various settings and formats, including hospices, group therapy sessions, support groups, family therapy, individual therapy, and more.
What types of grief therapy are there?
Your therapist might choose from a variety of different approaches to treatment based on your mental health needs and how your grief is affecting you. If you’re experiencing grief, the following types of therapy may be useful.
Complicated grief treatment
Columbia psychiatrist M. Katherine Shear developed complicated grief treatment, or CGT, to help people living with prolonged grief disorder. CGT uses elements from PTSD treatments and other forms of therapy to help patients strengthen their relationships, tell the story of the loss, and manage their emotions. In CGT, you might also learn how to preserve the memory of the person you lost and proceed with your life rather than avoiding reminders of them.
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Also known as CBT, cognitive behavioral therapy is a research-supported treatment based on the idea that our thoughts and behaviors can affect our mental health. Your therapist might work with you to identify beliefs and patterns of thinking that are causing you pain or making it harder to process your loss. Changing these thought patterns may make managing your grief easier.
Acceptance and commitment therapy
The purpose of acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT, is not to suppress or change uncomfortable feelings and thoughts. Instead, your therapist might show you how to get back in touch with your values and goals and take steps to act on them. This process may help you reconnect with what’s important to you and rediscover a sense of purpose after a loss.
Mindfulness-based therapy
Some forms of therapy incorporate elements of mindfulness, or the act of observing your thoughts and emotions without judging or reacting to them. Your therapist might have you practice meditation, breathwork, or other activities to help you build mind-body awareness. This awareness may help you gain distance from emotions and ways of thinking that might be making it harder for you to move forward.
Seeking therapy for grief online
These are just a few of the therapeutic techniques your therapist might use when you start your grief therapy journey. However, specialized forms of therapy like these may not always be affordable, especially if you don’t have health insurance. In 2022, the White House reported that only around half of people with insurance found their mental health coverage to be adequate.
With online therapy, you can attend live therapy sessions from the comfort of your own home. With plans starting at $65 per week, platforms like BetterHelp may be more affordable than traditional in-office therapy without insurance.
Studies indicate that online therapy may be effective for treating grief. In a study from 2020, for example, researchers analyzed results from seven randomized controlled trials of internet-based CBT for grief. Their findings suggest that online therapy can lead to improvements in grief symptoms.
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