Grief Plan

5 Sessions

Grief is a natural part of loss, but sometimes it lingers, intensifies, or feels like it’s taken over your daily life. While many people move through grief on their own, around 10–20% experience complications that make it harder to process and heal. These complications may arise when the impact of the loss challenges core beliefs—like your sense of safety, fairness, or purpose—or when other life stressors pile on, making everything feel harder to carry. Even though we’re told that “time heals all wounds,” grief doesn’t always play by the rules, and the pressure to "move on" can lead to anxiety, shame, or confusion about how you're feeling.

Therapy Lab offers a structured, five-session plan designed to support people navigating this complex emotional terrain. This evidence-based approach blends cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), psychoeducation, and emotional regulation strategies to help you feel more grounded. You'll also explore behavioral activation techniques and self-care practices to re-engage with what brings meaning and energy to your life—no matter how recent or distant the loss may be.

Sessions are delivered virtually, with limited in-person availability.

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Grief, I've learned, is really just love. It's all the love you want to give, but cannot. All that unspent love gathers in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go. — Jamie Anderson

Grief touches everyone. And while it looks different for each person, many people find it helpful to talk to a professional, especially when the weight of grief starts to affect sleep, concentration, relationships, or daily functioning.

You might feel stuck in a fog, unsure how to re-engage with life after loss. Or you may find yourself withdrawing from people or struggling with unexpected emotions long after others expect you to “feel better.”

Common indicators for this plan include:

Loss from death, relationship dissolution, or significant life transitions
Career disruption including termination, demotion, or retirement identity challenges
Health-related loss including diagnoses, physical capability changes, or fertility complications
Caregiver burden when supporting others through chronic illness or special needs
Ambiguous losses where closure remains elusive or incomplete
Disenfranchised (or private) grief with limited social recognition or support
Persistent sleep disruption or concentration difficulties
Withdrawal from meaningful activities or relationships
Intrusive thoughts about the loss that are difficult to integrate
The sense of being indefinitely "suspended" in your grieving process

Why you might choose this plan

What to expect

In-person, telehealth or both

How long does therapy take?

Although grief is a natural and universal experience, structured support for complicated grief is still surprisingly rare. At Therapy Lab, we offer an evidence-based plan that addresses the emotional and psychological patterns that can leave you feeling stuck or overwhelmed by grief.

This therapeutic process honors two essential needs: helping you face the reality of what’s been lost while gently guiding you back toward what remains. As a result, many clients feel reduced emotional intensity, a greater sense of clarity, and the ability to move forward while still holding space for what they’ve lost.

Therapy Lab clinicians hold advanced degrees in clinical psychology and related science-based clinical practices, with specialized training in grief-specific treatment. They approach grief with sophisticated understanding—recognizing it as simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary, a natural process that sometimes requires nuanced navigation. Research demonstrates that structured grief interventions yield superior outcomes compared to both non-treatment and non-specific counseling approaches. To learn more, please see the resources below.

About Therapy Lab therapists

Bonanno, G. A. (2009). The other side of sadness: What the new science of bereavement tells us about life after loss (2nd ed.). Basic Books.
Neimeyer, R. A. (2022). Techniques of grief therapy: Assessment and intervention (2nd ed.). Routledge.
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Shear, M. K., Reynolds, C. F., Simon, N. M., Zisook, S., Wang, Y., Mauro, C., ... & Skritskaya, N. (2016). Optimizing treatment of complicated grief: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 73(7), 685-694.