Grief counselling in Calgary.
Loss takes many shapes — a death, a relationship ending, a diagnosis, an identity. Grief therapy is for when the grief has stayed longer than the world will let you talk about it.
Grief in all its shapes.
Death loss — partner, parent, child, friend, sibling. Recent or long-ago losses still doing their work.
Anticipatory grief — living through the slow loss of someone you love before they’re gone.
Divorce & separation grief — the loss of a future, of a shared identity, of mutual friends, of part of yourself.
Pregnancy & fertility loss — miscarriage, stillbirth, infertility, loss that’s often unwitnessed.
Pet loss — a real loss, often dismissed.
Identity grief — the loss of a role (career, parenthood), of physical capacity, of who you thought you’d become.
Sudden or traumatic loss — loss compounded by shock, where trauma work and grief work intertwine.
Disenfranchised grief — loss the world doesn’t fully acknowledge as a loss. An ex-partner, a person you weren’t supposed to love, an estranged family member, a job, a place.
Prolonged grief — when grief stays acute past the point where life usually re-organises itself around it. The bereavement literature estimates roughly 10% of bereaved people develop prolonged grief patterns (Lundorff et al., 2017).
No timeline. No “stages” to march through.
Narrative therapy — re-telling the story of the loss, and the relationship, in a way that keeps the lost person or thing present in your continuing life rather than amputated from it.
CBT for the stuck cognitions — the “I should be over this” loops, the guilt patterns, the catastrophic predictions about who you are now.
DBT skills — for the high-affect waves, particularly in the first months or around anniversaries.
Polyvagal-informed work — grief lands in the body. Body-based regulation paired with talk therapy can help.
Sitting with you — sometimes the work is presence, not technique. Grief therapy isn’t always about moving forward; sometimes it’s about being witnessed where you are.
We will not tell you it’s been “long enough.” We will not impose a timeline. The work runs at the pace your grief actually moves.
Therapists on the team who do grief work.
Browse and click into a bio. The free consult is a call to talk through fit, fees, and insurance.
“I see strength as an innate characteristic in all people.”
“Seeking support from caring others is a brave first step in dealing with hardship.”
“Sometimes we need someone to talk to and listen to us without judgement.”
“Your trust in me is a privilege, and I am here to support and guide you every step of the way.”
“Taking the step to start therapy is an act of courage and self-care — and I'm here to support you.”
“Every story, identity, and experience deserves to be understood, honoured, and met with compassion.”
Grief counselling, asked and answered.
When should I come — is it too soon or too late?
Neither. People come weeks after a loss and people come decades after. Both are valid timings. If grief is shaping your daily life in ways you don’t want, therapy is worth a consult, whatever the calendar says.
How long does grief therapy take?
Varies widely. Short focused work (a few months) helps some people; for prolonged or complicated grief, the work tends to be longer and to come in phases. Your therapist will be open about pacing.
Will you tell me I should be “moving on”?
No. “Moving on” is not a clinical goal of grief therapy. The goal — if there is one — is to integrate the loss into a continuing life, not to leave it behind.
What if my loss isn’t a death?
Grief is grief. Divorce, infertility, capacity loss, an estranged family member, the slow loss of a friend to addiction or illness — the work is the same, even when the world doesn’t recognise it as grief.
Are sessions covered by insurance?
Most extended health plans cover Registered Psychologists and Registered Provisional Psychologists. Direct billing is available with Blue Cross.
In-person or online?
Both. Sessions at our Calgary office (2640 30 St SW) or by encrypted video for clients across Alberta.
References
Lundorff, M., Holmgren, H., Zachariae, R., Farver-Vestergaard, I., & O’Connor, M. (2017). Prevalence of prolonged grief disorder in adult bereavement: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 212, 138–149. doi:10.1016/j.jad.2017.01.030
Twenty minutes. On the phone. Free.
Tell us what’s going on and ask anything — insurance, format, fees, what a first session looks like. You’ll be on the call with one of our therapists, and we’ll go from there together. If we’re not the right practice for you, we’ll say so.