Grief Therapy Online
Clinically reviewed by Karan Singh, Ph.D.
Last reviewed October 16, 2026
Grief is the price of love, and there’s no right way to do it. For most people, the sharpest pain slowly softens over time, even though the loss never stops mattering. But sometimes grief stays as raw as the first weeks, or a loss is so sudden or violent that it becomes tangled with trauma. Whether you’re early in a loss or still struggling years later, therapy can help you carry it differently. Our licensed clinicians provide grief therapy by secure video in 20 states.
Is What I’m Feeling Normal?
Grief affects your whole self, not just your mood. Common reactions include:
- Waves of sadness, yearning, or longing for the person
- Numbness, disbelief, or feeling like the world isn’t real
- Guilt (“I should have done something”), anger, or relief, sometimes all at once
- Trouble sleeping, eating, or concentrating
- Physical aches, fatigue, or getting sick more often
- Seeing reminders everywhere, or avoiding them entirely
Grief doesn’t follow neat stages. The well-known “five stages” model was never meant as a fixed sequence, and most people move back and forth between painful moments and periods of coping. Anniversaries, holidays, and milestones can bring grief back strongly, even years later. That’s normal too.
When Grief Gets Stuck: Prolonged Grief Disorder
For a minority of bereaved people, grief stays intense and disabling for a long time. In 2022, the American Psychiatric Association added prolonged grief disorder to its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR). For adults, it may be diagnosed when, at least 12 months after a death, a person has intense yearning for or preoccupation with the person who died nearly every day, along with symptoms such as:
- Feeling as though part of yourself has died
- Marked disbelief about the death
- Avoiding reminders that the person is gone
- Intense emotional pain, such as anger, bitterness, or sorrow
- Difficulty reengaging with relationships and activities
- Emotional numbness
- Feeling that life is meaningless
- Intense loneliness
These symptoms cause significant distress or problems functioning and go beyond what’s expected in your culture or community. Prolonged grief disorder is not a sign that you loved more or are grieving “wrong,” and it responds well to targeted treatment.
Grief, Depression, and Trauma
Grief can overlap with other conditions, and telling them apart helps guide treatment.
| Typical grief | Depression | Traumatic grief | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Focus | Missing the person | General low mood and hopelessness | The way the person died |
| Self-worth | Usually intact | Often feels worthless | Often guilt or self-blame |
| Common signs | Waves of sadness mixed with good moments | Persistent emptiness | Flashbacks, nightmares, avoidance |
After a sudden, violent, or frightening death, such as a suicide, overdose, accident, homicide, or a death in an intensive care unit, many people develop posttraumatic stress symptoms alongside grief. When trauma is part of the picture, treating it often helps grief move again. Learn about our trauma and PTSD therapy and depression therapy.
How Grief Therapy Helps
Grief therapy isn’t about “getting over” someone or forgetting them. It helps you accept the reality of the loss, make room for painful feelings, and find a way to keep the connection while living a meaningful life. Depending on your needs, treatment may include:
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to work with guilt, self-blame, and thoughts that keep you stuck, and to gently reduce avoidance
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to make room for grief while reconnecting with what matters to you
- Prolonged Grief Disorder Therapy (PGDT), a structured, research-supported treatment developed specifically for prolonged grief. It combines revisiting the story of the death, working with memories, and rebuilding goals and relationships. Some of our clinicians use PGDT and related grief-focused approaches, so ask when you book.
- Trauma-focused treatments such as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), or Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) when the death was traumatic
Randomized trials have found that grief-focused CBT and PGDT reduce prolonged grief symptoms more than general supportive counseling.
Kinds of Loss We Help With
- Death of a spouse or partner
- Death of a parent, sibling, or friend
- Loss of a child, pregnancy loss, or stillbirth
- Loss after suicide or overdose
- Loss after a long illness and caregiving
- Death of a pet
- Grief that isn’t about a death, such as divorce, estrangement, a diagnosis, or loss of a career or identity
Some losses are “disenfranchised,” meaning other people don’t recognize or understand them. Every loss that matters to you deserves care.
What to Expect
Your first session focuses on your story: who you lost, what happened, and how you’re doing now. Your clinician will ask about sleep, mood, and safety, and screen for depression, trauma, or prolonged grief. Together you’ll decide what you want from therapy. Some people want a place to talk openly; others want structured help with specific symptoms.
Many people notice relief within 8 to 16 sessions, though there’s no deadline on grief. Your clinician will check progress with you along the way.
Caring for Yourself Between Sessions
- Keep basic routines. Regular meals, sleep, and movement help your body cope with stress.
- Let people help. Accept specific offers, such as meals or errands.
- Plan for hard days. Decide in advance how you’ll spend anniversaries and holidays.
- Find ways to stay connected, such as writing letters, keeping traditions, or sharing stories.
- Watch your use of alcohol, which can deepen depression and disrupt sleep.
Grief can make it hard to get out the door. Telehealth lets you meet from a place where you feel safe, without driving or sitting in a waiting room. Research suggests online grief interventions can reduce grief and depression symptoms. Learn how our teletherapy works.
Insurance Coverage
Therapy is billed as standard outpatient psychotherapy, so most plans with mental health benefits cover it. We’re in-network with:
- Aetna, directly and through Headway. See our Aetna page.
- Optum and UnitedHealthcare, nationwide. See our Optum and UnitedHealthcare page.
- Oscar, through the UnitedHealthcare network
- Anthem and Carelon, through Headway
- Blue Cross Blue Shield, Ambetter, and others
We do not accept Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans.
Our clinicians are licensed across 20 states, and we have in-person offices throughout the US.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is grief supposed to last? There’s no set timeline. Acute grief often softens over months, but waves can continue for years. If intense yearning and daily disruption continue past a year, it may be prolonged grief disorder, which is treatable.
What is the difference between grief and prolonged grief disorder? In typical grief, pain gradually becomes more manageable. In prolonged grief disorder, intense longing and distress stay persistent for at least 12 months and make it hard to function.
Does grief therapy actually help? Yes, especially for prolonged grief. Grief-focused treatments have been shown to work better than general supportive counseling.
When should I see a therapist for grief? Consider therapy if grief is making it hard to function, you feel stuck or numb, you’re struggling with guilt, or the death was sudden or traumatic. You don’t need to wait a year.
Can grief cause physical symptoms? Yes. Grief can cause fatigue, sleep problems, appetite changes, aches, and lowered immunity. See your doctor for new or persistent physical symptoms.
Is grief therapy covered by insurance? Often, yes, when there’s a diagnosable condition such as prolonged grief disorder, depression, or an adjustment disorder. We’ll check your benefits. We do not accept Medicare or Medicare Advantage plans.
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or call 911.