01 / Grief

Grief counseling.

Grief takes shapes nobody warns you about. It comes in waves and then in quiet stretches and then back again. It doesn’t follow stages neatly, and it doesn’t end on a schedule. Grief counseling isn’t about getting over it. It’s about learning to carry it.

02 / Who this is for

You might recognize some of this.

Death of a partner, parent, child, sibling, or close friend

Loss of a pet

Anticipatory grief — caring for someone whose death is coming

Grief from divorce, miscarriage, infertility, or estrangement

Grief that's been called 'complicated' or that's stayed longer than people around you expect

Grief that resurfaces around anniversaries, holidays, or life events the person should have been part of

03 / What sessions look like

The shape of the work.

Sessions are open space. Some weeks you’ll want to talk about the person you lost. Some weeks you’ll want to talk about what your life looks like now. Some weeks you’ll be flat and not know what you want, and that counts too. There’s no agenda I’m holding for you to meet.

Over time the work becomes about meaning — not the meaning of the loss (which usually doesn’t have a tidy answer), but the meaning of carrying it forward. What stays. What changes. What of the person you lost lives in you.

04 / How I approach it

Models I draw from for this.

Grief work doesn’t fit one model. I draw from narrative therapy for the meaning-making piece, emotionally focused therapy when the loss has disrupted relationships you still have, psychodynamic and attachment-based work for the deeper currents, and mindfulness-based skills when the waves get overwhelming.

See the full list of therapeutic approaches I use on the services overview, or fees & insurance for accepted panels.

05 / Common questions

How long is grief 'supposed' to last?

There’s no right timeline. Six months. Two years. Forever, in some form. The question isn’t whether you’re “done” — it’s whether you can live alongside the loss. That’s what we work on.

Is it grief if it wasn't a death?

Yes. Divorce, miscarriage, estrangement, lost capacity, the life you thought you were going to have — all of these can carry real grief. Sometimes the grief is harder because the loss isn’t recognized by people around you.

What about complicated feelings — anger, relief, guilt?

Those are part of grief, especially when the relationship was complicated, the death was complicated, or both. They don’t mean you didn’t love the person, and they don’t mean you’re grieving wrong.

Can you help kids with grief?

Yes. I work with children (ages 6+), teens, and families after a loss. Kids grieve differently than adults — in shorter bursts, often through play and behavior — and what helps looks different too.

06 / Related services

Reach out when you’re ready.

Give me a call or send an email — whichever feels easier.

Contact me (210) 504-8263 vanessa@peace-therapy.com

Grief counseling.

You might recognize some of this.

The shape of the work.

Models I draw from for this.

Depression therapy

Trauma & PTSD

Family therapy

Reach out when you’re ready.

Grief counseling.

You might recognize some of this.

The shape of the work.

Models I draw from for this.

Common questions

You might also want to read.

Depression therapy

Trauma & PTSD

Family therapy

Reach out when you’re ready.