Question 1

What type of counseling is best for grief?

Accepted Answer

There are many different types of counseling practices for addressing grief. The choice of modality is specific to the provider, as well as the assessment of client needs, preferences, and the nature of grief. Below are common counseling services typically provided for grief:

Existential & Humanistic Therapy: Existential and humanistic therapy are interconnected therapies that focus on self-understanding while confronting limitations to being human, such as death, illness, and demise, responsibilities and freedom to make choices, and what it means to be authentic. The therapies highlight the integration of exploring meaning, purpose, and personal fulfillment while recognizing and challenging the irony of pointlessness and the inevitability of loss.

Positive Psychology: Positive psychology has similarities to existential and humanistic therapy, as it focuses on promoting wellness and self-growth despite loss. Positive psychology is more strength-based and relies on personal resiliency, meaningful goals, and gratitude to navigate grief.

Art & Expressive Therapy: Expressive therapies include the use of creative art interventions such as drawing, writing, painting, singing, dancing, and acting to process grief and loss. The use of mainstream talk therapy can sometimes be challenging for those who are grieving, and thus resorting to nonverbal forms of expression can be cathartic and supportive.

Narrative Therapy: Similar to Expressive therapies and Positive Psychology, Narrative therapy focuses on allowing a person to story and describe their experience of loss. Identifying personal resiliency and noted strengths, narrative therapy further focuses on the re-narrating or re-storying of the loss; It provides an opportunity to notice new perspectives as we move through loss.

Mindfulness-Based Therapy: Helpful as an additive to all modalities, especially for those grieving, Mindfulness-Based Therapy focuses on incorporating stress reduction tools, meditation practices, and mindfulness exercises to aid in down-regulating one's heightened nervous system, self-soothe, and ground an individual.

Logotherapy: A branch of Existential therapy, Logotherapy is also an additive therapy that focuses specifically on creating meaning. Even in the face of suffering, Logotherapy highlight how we can still choose to create meaning. For unchanging situations, such as after loss, incorporating attitudinal shifts is a primary focus of logotherapy.

Transpersonal Psychology & Grief Therapy: Known as a spiritual and holistic form of therapy, Transpersonal psychology focuses on experiences of interconnectedness such as during states of flow, sereneness, and meditation, and while using certain therapeutic substances, such as psychedelics. In the context of grief, this modality can help a person striving for connection with nature, and greater self alignment, and those interested in exploring their spiritual and religious beliefs and connections.

Group & Family Therapy: As highlighted above, Group and Family therapy are effective modalities for those looking for greater communal support, collective processing, and learning how to better communicate and connect.
Our practice offers a variety of the modalities presented above. If you have questions about a modality that you do not see listed, please contact us (https://www.authenticallylivingpsych.com/contact)and a member of our staff will return your inquiry in 24-48 hours.

Question 2

Is group therapy good for grief?

Accepted Answer

Group therapy is a supportive modality for addressing grief, as it provides a space for peer support, communal validation, decreased isolation and loneliness, normalization of certain experiences, and an opportunity to share without fear of judgment. Group therapy encourages the expression of difficult emotions that may be more challenging to have with friends and colleagues, and is a platform for practicing how to advocate for your needs.

Our grief therapy group offers a unique opportunity to utilize creative practices to express and address grief, that doesn't solely rely on the use of verbal processing. We have found that grief is often difficult to talk about and that words do not always express our experiences justly. In addition to creative interventions, such as writing, drawing, and painting, our incorporation of mindfulness exercises aids in down-regulating your nervous system at the end of group, and are additional tools for you to practice at your leisure when overwhelmed with the distress of grief.
If you are interested in learning more about our grief group and whether this might be a good fit for you, reach out by clicking here.(https://www.authenticallylivingpsych.com/contact) A member of our staff will return your inquiry in 24-48 hours.

Question 3

How soon should you have bereavement counseling?

Accepted Answer

The timing for starting bereavement therapy is different from person to person. Taking into account the nature of a loss, a person's readiness and interest in therapy, availability of supportive factors and coping skills, and cultural factors can influence when and if a person will seek bereavement counseling. It's important to remember that the healing process is unique for everyone and so there is no right or wrong time to seek therapy and that regardless of when your loss occurred, it is never too late to start grief therapy.

245 5th Ave #311, New York, NY 10016 / 80 Park St., Montclair, New Jersey 07042
(312)600-3775
Accepting New Clients! Book a Free Consult

Grief Counseling NYC

Are you alone in your grief and tired of being invalidated?

Types of loss we work with:

Typical Loss

Chronic Illness/Loss of Ability

Job Loss

Relationship loss (I.e. divorce, community, estrangement)

Death by suicide

Miscarriage, Abortion, Infertility

Pet Loss

Loss of identity

Loss of freedom

Meet Dr. Cynthia Shaw | Grief counselor in NYC

Common signs that you could benefit from grief counseling

If you are experiencing any emotional, physiological, or cognitive disruptions after a loss you may benefit from grief counseling.

Intense & Complicated Grief:

Social Withdrawal & Loneliness:

Trauma Responses:

Difficulty Completing Activities of Daily Living:

Regrets:

Existential Thoughts:

Loss of Hope & Suicidal Thoughts:

Looking for Space:

Why choose Authentically Living Psychological Services for grief counseling

Schedule a free consultation

Grief counseling can help you find meaning after loss.

245 5th Ave #311, New York, NY 10016 / 80 Park St., Montclair, New Jersey 07042 (312)600-3775 Accepting New Clients! Book a Free Consult