Grief Therapy in California
When loss changes everything—and no one knows how to sit with you in it
Whether you lost a parent, grandparent, partner, sibling, friend, or beloved pet—your grief is real and it deserves space. Therapy can help you navigate the waves of loss, process what feels stuck, and find your way forward while keeping their memory close.
What You’re Going Through
Someone you love is gone. And nothing feels the same.
Maybe it was sudden—a phone call that shattered your world. Maybe it was expected after a long illness, but knowing didn't make it hurt less. Maybe you cared for them for months or years, and now you feel relieved they're not suffering—and guilty for feeling that relief.
You handled everything. Funeral arrangements. Paperwork. Phone calls. Everyone said you were "so strong." But now that the chaos has settled, you're falling apart.
The worst part? People disappeared. After the funeral, the texts stopped. Nobody mentions their name anymore—like saying it will remind you they're gone. You can't forget for even a second.
You want to talk about them. Say their name. Tell stories. But people change the subject or get uncomfortable.
The ones you thought would show up didn't. The support you expected never came. It's lonely in a way you never imagined.
If you lost a pet, people minimize it. "It was just a dog." But they were family. Your daily companion. That grief is real.
You're stuck in what-ifs. What if you'd called more? Been there that day? Said what you meant to say? The images you can't unsee play on repeat.
You wonder if you'll ever laugh without guilt. If photos will bring smiles instead of sobs. If you'll ever feel like yourself again.
How Therapy Helps
Grief therapy creates space to talk about who they were—their name, their quirks, your memories together. Not just "processing the loss," but honoring the actual person (or beloved pet) who mattered.
We'll do validating grief work where all your feelings have space. Sadness, rage, relief, guilt—all of it. Using ART, we process the distressing images that replay and remove the emotional sting of them.
If you were a caregiver, we'll address the complicated grief that comes with relief. Glad their suffering ended and devastated they're gone—both are true, both deserve space.
With ACT, we'll help you reconnect with what matters and live meaningfully while carrying this loss. We'll work through regrets, what-ifs, and words left unsaid.
We'll navigate how people respond—setting boundaries with those who minimize your loss, finding ways to keep your person present when others avoid them.
Healing doesn't mean moving on—it means learning how to carry the grief differently.
What Gets Better
You’re able to breathe again. The weight on your chest lifts more often than it sits.
You find people who get it. The ones who remember their name. The ones who ask about them without flinching. The ones who sit with you in the pain instead of trying to fix it.
You learn to say their name out loud again. You share stories and memories. You keep them present in your life in ways that feel right to you.
The guilt around laughing or feeling joy eases. You realize they'd want you to live, not just exist. You can miss them and also experience happiness.
The what-ifs and regrets lose their grip.
Those distressing images that used to ambush you? We replace them, and they no longer control you. You can remember the good times without being pulled back into the traumatic moments.
You learn that grief doesn't leave—how you carry it changes. Some days it's heavy. Some days it's light. You stop expecting it to follow a timeline or look a certain way.
If your grief was disenfranchised (losing a pet, a friend, an estranged family member), you stop defending it. You claim your right to grieve however this loss deserves.
You realize you can honor them and live your life at the same time. Remembering them and moving forward aren't opposites—you're doing both.
Your grief deserves to be witnessed.
