Discover how starting grief & loss counseling can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.
2 therapists available in Norfolk
I believe healing happens through genuine connection, and I strive to create a warm, compassionate space where clients feel truly ...
About
I believe healing happens through genuine connection, and I strive to create a warm, compassionate space where clients feel truly seen, supported, and empowered to grow.
I’m so glad you’re here! I’m Sue Ann McCray, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a Master’s degree from Boston University. I graduated in 2017, and I have 8+ years of experience supporting adolescents, teens, and adults facing trauma, anxiety, depression, grief, stress, relationship challenges, and life transitions. I also work with those in early recovery from substance use. I provide individual therapy, creating a collaborative, reflective space to build insight, resilience, coping skills, and personal growth.
My approach is client-centered, trauma-informed, and grounded in compassion, acceptance, and respect. I use evidence-based methods tailored to each individual’s needs, to help clients feel seen, heard, and empowered to pursue meaningful, lasting growth.
My care style is warm and collaborative. I create a safe, supportive space where you can feel heard and understood as we work toward meaningful change. Together, we’ll build coping skills, resilience, and self-awareness at a pace that feels right for you. You don’t have to face life’s challenges alone—I’m here to support you every step of the way.
Education and training
View more therapists in Norfolk
As a therapist, I feel very fortunate to work in a field where I am helping and supporting others as they work on their personal g...
As a therapist, I feel very fortunate to work in a field where I am helping and supporting others as they work on their personal goals.
Sarah Stovall is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) with over 15 years of broad experience in the mental health field. She is dedicated and compassionate about helping others grow, develop healthy relationships, and strengthen their overall emotional well-being. Sarah works with children, adolescents, adults, and families to address their personal challenges. She specializes in depression, anxiety, trauma-related issues, PTSD, relationship issues, parenting, and adjustment to recent life changes.
Sarah completed her Master's degree in Psychology at Phillips Graduate Institute in Encino, CA. She has since used her skills and knowledge with all types of clients, where she has observed positive growth and change in others who have overcome many challenges. Sarah utilizes multiple treatment modalities including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), motivational interviewing (MI), solutions-focused therapy (SFT), family systems (FST), parent-child relations, trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT), and rational emotive behavioral therapy (REBT).
Sarah has a great understanding of many different challenges and life experiences that come to each and every one of us. She also has the tools and techniques to offer supportive change. Sarah has the genuineness, open mind, and willingness to work together with you to support whatever challenges you might be facing. She looks forward to you scheduling your first session.
You deserve dedicated time with a mental health professional — it can be life-changing.
Not ready to book? Contact me
Look for a confirmation email in your inbox shortly. We'll help find you a provider and guide you through everything you should know about starting care at Thriveworks.
No membership fees or subscriptions
Evening and weekend sessions
Award-winning therapy & psychiatry
What support are you seeking?
You acknowledge that by submitting this form, you are providing what may be considered “sensitive data” and consent to Thriveworks Privacy Policy & Terms. By submitting this information, you consent to receive communication from Thriveworks about our services via automatic calls, artificial or pre-recorded messages, or texts at the phone number provided, or by email at the address provided. You have the option to opt out of communications.
We will contact you with availability updates based on the preferences you provided for up to six months.
My go-to approaches for helping people in grief and loss counseling are empathy, compassion, understanding, psychoeducation, CBT, and other skills to support healing, functional improvement, emotional management, and acceptance.
I teach the following tools in grief and loss counseling:
I know a client is making meaningful progress in grief and loss counseling when they are reporting and demonstrating increased management of emotional regulation, utilization of coping skills, and improved functioning in life overall.
Clients can supplement their time in grief and loss counseling through the use of skills and other tools learned in sessions to be practiced and applied outside of sessions to achieve the best results for promoting positive change.
To prepare for their first grief and loss counseling session, an individual can expect an intake session where questions will be asked in a gentle and compassionate format to gather needed information to help identify and support treatment goals.
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 Norfolk, VA have specific experience, training, and skills that enable them to best support grieving individuals.
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 Norfolk, VA will design your treatment plan around your unique needs and goals for therapy, applying the counseling techniques that best support them.
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.
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.
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.
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.
One of life’s most painful experiences may be losing a loved one. Whether a family member or friend, people usually react to bereavement with grief. Going through a process of grief, or a grief cycle, is a normal human experience. People often grieve after losing anyone or anything they love. Everyone experiences loss at some point in life, and grief often follows loss. While grief is common, it is not a simple experience. The grief cycle is a complicated journey, replete with complex emotions and mental health challenges. Many people have found that grief counseling helps them navigate grief and loss in a healthy way.
The grief counselors and therapists at Thriveworks Norfolk, VA have guided many clients through the grief cycle and helped them find joy and happiness after loss. Reach out today for help.
Grief is often, but not always, unexpected. Other losses are anticipated, even planned. When people change jobs or careers, they may prepare for months, even years, for the transition. And yet, grief can also hit during or after a planned loss.
Regardless of the loss’ circumstances, grief is almost always accompanied by various and intense emotions. There are no right feelings or wrong feelings. Emotions, instead, are helpful indicators about why the loss is significant to each individual person. Paying attention to emotions that arise during grief is important. Anyone who is struggling with loss, bereavement, and grief may be feeling…
It is okay to experience grief in a unique way. Giving yourself time to reflect about what was lost and how you are feeling about the loss can be an important part of healing. Many people have found the support they need to process their grief through working with a caring grief counselor. Thriveworks Norfolk, VA’s grief counselors have helped many of their clients reconstruct a fulfilling life and recover from grief’s pain.
Maybe you can relate to the difficulty that loss brings into people’s lives. Maybe you are intrigued by grief counseling but are wondering what it involves. So, what happens at grief counseling? The therapists at Thriveworks Norfolk often help their clients understand what they are feeling and why they might be feeling that way. With a compassionate presence, our grief counselors often walk through painful memories, desires, feelings, and more. They can help clients process and cope with the pain of loss.
Once clients have processed the loss, they are often ready to think about rebuilding the future. Thriveworks Norfolk, VA counselors have helped their clients make space in their lives for a new fulfilling future. This might include pursuing new relationships, establishing a new routine, or trying a new hobby. While pursuing these new experiences can be scary, many clients also find new hope, new meaning, and new happiness as they rebuild their lives. There is no silver bullet or quick-fix to grief. Therapy takes time and effort, but many clients find that finding a healthy path through grief and walking that path with a trusted therapists was well worth it.
Have you recently lost a loved one? Has a major change left you sad about how different your life is now? Are you ready to have some support as you navigate grief? Thriveworks Norfolk, VA has grief counseling appointments available.
We understand that everyday life is harder after a loss, so we have tried to make scheduling an appointment for grief therapy as easy as possible. We accept most insurance providers. When you call to schedule an appointment, you may be able to make your appointment within the week. We also offer evening and weekend sessions.
Do not navigate grief alone. Call to start grief therapy through Thriveworks Norfolk, VA.
Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy
Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management
Shown in ET
4 photos
Call us to book
Our team is happy to help you schedule your first session.
Book online
Find the right provider for you. Book your session online yourself in just a few easy steps.