coping with
your grief
View our short video on grief and loss and how counseling can help.
Grief & Loss Counseling in Colorado
Losing someone you love changes everything and finding your way through that loss, whether it was sudden or expected, recent or years ago, is some of the hardest work a person can do. If that's what brought you here, you're in the right place and we are here to support you. Grief isn't always limited to death. It can follow a breakup or divorce, the loss of a pet, a job, your health, or any change that reshapes your life. If something mattered to you, your grief over losing it is valid, no exceptions.
Why Does Everyone Grieve Differently?
Grief looks different for everyone. There's no timeline, no right order of emotions, and no version of grieving that's more valid than yours. How you navigate feelings of grief and for how long will be unique. Your grief journey can be impacted by previous experiences of loss, grief, or trauma. While there are many models that describe the stages of grief, most all agree that typically you will experience feelings of anger, sadness, and guilt, as you navigate the grieving process.
Common Questions About Grief Counseling
Your Feelings About Loss Are Normal
As you work through the grieving or bereavement process, you will likely experience a range of emotions. Some which may be easily attributed to the loss, and others that may be more subtle. Sadness, tearfulness, and feeling unsettled by the loss are common feelings. Likewise, anger, loss of control and anxiety, often mixed with feelings of guilt or responsibility for the loss, are typical.
As you manage your grief, you will likely experience one or more of these emotions at any given time. It is important to understand that all emotions you are or may be feeling are normal. It is also important to recognize that you will recover.
Do Any of These Common Grief Symptoms Describe You?
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Mood changes constantly when before it stayed fairly steady
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Emotions ranging from sadness to anger, to guilt, to confusion
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Losing sleep, have difficulty sleeping, or sleep too much
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Feeling alone or want to isolate yourself from others
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Clingy and needy and not want to be alone
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Physical symptoms like headaches and stomach aches
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Crying more often
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Feeling “heavy” in your body
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Having resentful or cynical thoughts
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Starting to question the meaning of life or your spirituality
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Angry that others’ lives are going on as usual and yours isn’t
If your grief has brought on thoughts of suicide, please reach out to the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (call or text 988) in addition to reaching out to us. You don't have to carry this alone.
Experiencing a loss can have a significant impact on how you experience the world, how you think about the world, and how you respond to your environment and community. You may think that your loss was "not that bad” or may find yourself comparing your loss to others, minimizing your own loss. This leads to questioning the validity of your own feelings and thoughts.
How Grief Counseling Helps You Heal
When we experience a loss or an anticipated loss, and later grieving, we often take time to reflect on the meaning of life. Then, our “meaning” may sometimes change as a result of a loss. This can be a very painful process, but with support, it can often lead to healing, recovery and personal growth.
Here at Catalyss Counseling, we offer support through your grieving process. Both after the loss and during the loss experience. We work with you to find meaning in your loss or anticipated loss, so that you may continue to find joy in your life along with personal growth and wellness.
What Changes After Grief Counseling?
Grief and loss counseling can give you a safe, supportive environment to let go of your emotions, process your loss, and fully understand what it means to you. There may be changes that you start to see in yourself and your life during therapy. Here are a few:
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Understanding that your grief is normal yet also unique to you
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Learning to cope with your strong emotions so you can get through the day
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Moving towards acceptance of your loss
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Finding comfort instead of sadness in happy memories
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Grasping the stages of grief and where you are in each stage
Our goal is to help you continue to move forward in your life and when you're ready, to re-connect with friends and family members so you don't feel so lonely in your pain. With counseling, you will learn coping skills to manage those difficult daily feelings and stressors that come and go among your grief journey.
Our Approach to Grief & Loss Counseling:
As you work through your grieving process, you will experience a range of different emotions and thoughts. Some days will feel more difficult than others. Luckily, this is a normal part of the grieving process. We know that sometimes, you may experience depression or anxiety as part of your grieving. Our therapists help you understand how your loss impacts your sense of meaning in life. We help you use your resiliency, past experiences, and community resources to navigate the grieving process. Also allowing space to potentially explore your spiritual and religious beliefs surrounding the loss.
Our approach is also focused on your physical health through sleep, nutrition, and exercise which often gets forgotten among the complexity of grief. All of this allows you to feel empowered again, regain a sense of meaning, and continue your path of recovery and self-growth.
Can Group therapy Help with Grief?
Group counseling can be an essential part of your healing process. Here at Catalyss Counseling, we've seen firsthand how powerful it is to process your grief with others. We know group therapy might be the last thing you want to be a part of after a loss, but it doesn't have to feel that way. While we don't currently run a grief-specific group, our online Men's Support Group and Women's Support Group both offer a space to process loss and all of life's other challenges.
Online Counseling for Grief & Loss
For those times when you are unable to come into the office for traditional in-person therapy, Catalyss Counseling offers online counseling via a secure video platform. The flexibility and convenience of doing counseling sessions online is a great alternative and our therapists offer support in a way that makes you feel safe, heard, and understood.
How to Start Therapy for Grief & Loss in Denver, CO
Our therapists have specialized experience in treating grief and we know that therapy and lasting change takes time and commitment. If you’d like to talk more about how we can help you, follow these simple steps:
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Contact us today for a free 20-minute phone consultation
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Not ready for a call? Complete our online form and we’ll be in touch with next steps.
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Begin to heal and find peace among your grief journey.
Other therapy services offered by Catalyss Counseling:
Grief can bring up more than sadness, sometimes anxiety, depression, or relationship strain come with it too. We want to meet all of your counseling needs in the Denver area. Our supportive therapists provide therapy for ADHD, caregiver stress, stress management, couples, and trauma & PTSD. We also have specialists in EMDR, LGBTQIA+, postpartum depression and anxiety, pregnancy loss and miscarriage, and birth trauma, available in-person or through online counseling.
Looking for community too? Explore our Men's Support Group, Women's Support Group, ADHD Support Group, Parent Support Group, Relationship Process Group, DBT Group for Calm & Balance, and Grad Student Support Group. We also offer an Affordable Counseling Program if cost is a barrier. We look forward to connecting with you to help support your journey today.