Grief and Loss Counseling

in Austin, Texas

There is no right way to grieve.

Grief can be devastating, disorienting, lonely, confusing — and sometimes surprisingly ordinary. You might be crying constantly. You might feel numb. You might be angry, relieved, guilty, exhausted, distracted, or wondering why you aren't feeling what you think you're supposed to feel.

There isn't a timeline you're supposed to follow, and there isn't a correct way to do this.

Grief also doesn't happen in isolation. The relationship you had with the person or thing you've lost matters. Your history matters. What happened before the loss matters. And sometimes the relationships we grieve most deeply were also complicated ones.

Therapy isn't about helping you “move on.” It's about making room for what happened, understanding how it has changed you, and finding a way to carry your grief while continuing to build a life that matters to you.

Grief isn't only about death

I work with people experiencing many different kinds of grief and loss, including:

Death of a loved one

Anticipatory grief

Pet loss

Divorce, separation, and relationship loss

Estrangement and changes in family relationships

Friendship loss

Job and career loss

Major life transitions

Changes in health, ability, or independence

Loss of identity, community, or a hoped-for future

Ambiguous losses — when someone or something is gone, but there isn't a clear ending

You don't need to prove that your loss is “big enough” to deserve support.

Sometimes grief is complicated.

You can miss someone and be angry with them.

You can love someone and feel relieved that they're gone.

You can grieve a relationship you know wasn't good for you. You can mourn someone who hurt you. You can feel devastated by a loss that other people don't seem to understand.

More than one thing can be true at the same time.

Therapy gives us room for the parts of grief that can be difficult to say out loud — without requiring you to make your feelings neater, simpler, or more socially acceptable.

What was lost, what remains, and what becomes possible.

A big part of grief work, for me, is understanding what has been lost, what is still left, and what will only be possible because this loss happened.

That last part isn't about finding a silver lining or pretending that something terrible was secretly a good thing. Some losses are simply devastating, and you don't have to be grateful for them.

But loss changes the shape of a life. As we make room for what is gone, we can also begin to notice what remains — relationships, memories, values, parts of yourself, ways of staying connected — and eventually become curious about what might exist in the life that comes next.

Sometimes new things become possible precisely because life is different now.

That doesn't make the loss worth it. It doesn't cancel out what you wish you still had. It simply allows us to hold another truth alongside the grief: your life after loss can contain things that could not have existed before it.

I'll never tell you to “get over it.”

One of the hardest parts of grief can be realizing that the rest of the world keeps moving.

People stop asking how you're doing. Support fades. Anniversaries and ordinary Tuesdays can suddenly knock the wind out of you. And you may start wondering whether you should be doing better by now.

I don't believe grief has an expiration date.

Over time, our relationship with grief can change. Life can grow around it. There can be joy, connection, meaning, and new experiences without erasing what — or who — mattered to you.

You don't have to leave your grief behind in order to move forward.

Looking for grief counseling in Austin or online across Texas?

Whether your loss happened recently, years ago, or is still unfolding, you're welcome to reach out. I offer a free consultation so we can talk about what you're experiencing and whether I might be the right therapist to walk alongside you.

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