What is your go-to approach for grief & loss counseling?

My go-to approach for grief and loss counseling is cognitive behavioral therapy, which focuses on helping the client identify negative thought patterns and replace them with more positive thoughts. I also tend to use acceptance and commitment therapy. The underlying premise of this technique is that people can begin to move past their grief by mindfully embracing it rather than fighting it.

What tools do you teach in grief & loss counseling?

I tend to use CBT techniques, including reframing and restructuring, targeting behaviors, and developing a new narrative about the loss. With acceptance and commitment therapy tools, clients can focus on their own values, commit to action and achieving their goals, accept difficult emotions without judging, be more aware of the present, create space between themselves and their thoughts, and do something called âobserving the selfâ in order to describe their thoughts and feelings dispassionately.

How do you know when a client is making meaningful progress in grief & loss counseling?

I know that a client is making meaningful progress when they actually tell me and when their episodes of grief and depression decrease significantly from where they were at the beginning of therapy.

What can clients do in their personal time to supplement grief & loss counseling?

Clients can supplement their time in grief and loss counseling with journaling, bibliotherapy, and enjoyable activities.

What should someone do to prepare for starting grief & loss counseling?

To prepare for their first grief and loss counseling session, an individual can just come and be prepared to talk about how they're feeling in a safe space with a person who is looking forward to listening to them.

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Our therapists offer grief & loss counseling in Chicago, IL

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Counseling approaches & specialties

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) ADHD therapy Anger management therapy Anxiety therapy Christian counseling Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) Depression counseling Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) Eating disorders EMDR therapy Emotionally focused therapy (EFT) Grief & loss counseling Humanistic therapy Insomnia therapy LGBTQIA+ counseling Life transitions counseling Motivational interviewing Obsessive-compulsive disorder therapy (OCDT) Person-centered therapy (PCT) Solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) Strength-based therapy Stress management therapy Trauma/PTSD therapy
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Common approaches to Grief & loss counseling

Starting Grief & loss counseling

What type of counseling is needed when a person cannot get over the grief of losing a loved one?

Grief and loss counseling helps people grieve difficult losses including the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship. It helps people navigate their grief process and eventually accept, understand, and move forward from their loss. Thriveworks grief therapists in Chicago, IL have specific experience, training, and skills that enable them to best support grieving individuals.

How does grief and loss counseling work?

Grief and loss counseling isn’t one-size-fits-all, but it involves sharing about your loss and then working with your counselor to acknowledge and accept your new reality in its wake. Your provider at Thriveworks in Chicago, IL will design your treatment plan around your unique needs and goals for therapy, applying the counseling techniques that best support them.

Signs I should seek grief counseling

If you have recently experienced an event like the death of a loved one, a breakup or divorce, the loss of a job, or another major life change, then you may want to seek grief and loss counseling. Grief can be caused by many experiences and events, so if you feel that you are having trouble moving on from a certain event or find that it is still impacting your life and functioning, grief and loss counseling can help you process it more effectively so that you can move on and once again find fulfillment and satisfaction in your life.

What counseling theory is best for grief?

There are many counseling theories for treating grief, one of the most frequently used being the dual process model of grief which helps people acknowledge who or what they’ve lost through rumination while also adjusting to the new roles and identities that this loss has now placed on them. There are also many commonly used therapy approaches used in grief and loss counseling, including Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and traumatic grief therapy.

Is grief counseling conducted in person or online?

Grief & loss counseling at Thriveworks is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.

How long does grief counseling last?

For many, grief and loss counseling lasts for about 6 months. For others, it may last shorter or longer, depending on the severity of their loss and their grief.

Pricing & insurance

Our therapists accept most major insurances. We accept 585+ insurance plans, and offer self-pay options, too.

Learn more about pricing for therapy and counseling services at Thriveworks.

Insurance options

Self-pay costs

Our Illinois therapists and counselors accept 1 insurance plans

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Self-pay costs at Chicago

Talk therapy

Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Psychiatry

Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

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My session is wonderful. I feel good about how it's going.

Patricia Feb 2024