Losing someone or something important—a loved one, a relationship, a job, your health—can turn your world upside down. Grief is a natural response, but that doesn't make it easy. Online therapy provides a safe space to process your loss with professional support, on your own schedule.
Understanding Grief
Grief isn't just sadness. It can show up as anger, guilt, numbness, confusion, physical exhaustion, or even relief. There's no "right" way to grieve, and the old idea of linear "stages" has largely been replaced by more nuanced understanding.
Types of loss that benefit from grief therapy include death of a loved one, divorce or relationship endings, job loss or career transitions, health changes or chronic illness diagnosis, miscarriage or infertility, loss of independence, and estrangement from family.
How Therapy Helps with Grief
A grief therapist won't try to "fix" your pain or rush you through it. Instead, they help you:
- •Process emotions safely without judgment or timelines
- •Find meaning in your relationship with what you've lost
- •Navigate practical challenges like returning to work or facing anniversaries
- •Address complicated grief that interferes with daily functioning
- •Rebuild identity after a loss that changed who you are
Common Therapeutic Approaches
Meaning-Making Therapy
Helps you find significance in your loss and integrate it into your life story. Focuses on continuing bonds with what/whom you've lost rather than "moving on."
Complicated Grief Treatment (CGT)
Specialized 16-session protocol for grief that remains intense and debilitating beyond 6-12 months. Combines exposure therapy with interpersonal techniques.
CBT for Grief
Addresses unhelpful thought patterns (guilt, self-blame) that can accompany grief. Practical skills for managing intense emotions.
Supportive Counseling
Non-directive approach that provides a compassionate space to express and process emotions without structured interventions.
Why Online Therapy Works for Grief
Grief can make leaving the house feel impossible. Online therapy removes that barrier:
- •No travel required when you're already exhausted
- •Cry in your own space and take breaks when needed
- •Message your therapist when a wave of grief hits at 2am
- •Maintain privacy from well-meaning but overwhelming friends/family
- •Flexible scheduling when your energy is unpredictable
Platforms with Grief Specialists
BetterHelp
Filter for therapists specializing in grief/loss. Large network means better matching.
Read review →When to Seek Help
There's no minimum waiting period to seek grief support—you can reach out immediately after a loss or years later. Consider therapy if:
- •You want support processing a recent or past loss
- •Grief is interfering with work, relationships, or daily functioning
- •You're struggling with guilt, anger, or complicated feelings about the loss
- •Friends and family don't understand or you've exhausted their support
- •You're approaching an anniversary, birthday, or holiday
Complicated Grief Warning Signs
If grief remains intensely debilitating after 6-12 months, you may have prolonged grief disorder. Signs include inability to accept the loss, feeling life is meaningless, intense longing that doesn't decrease, and difficulty reengaging with life. Specialized treatment like CGT is highly effective.
The Bottom Line
Grief is one of the most universal human experiences, yet it can feel profoundly isolating. Online therapy offers accessible, compassionate support to help you process your loss without pressure to "get over it" on anyone else's timeline.
Most people find meaningful relief within 8-16 sessions, though some continue longer-term support through difficult periods like anniversaries. The goal isn't to forget or move on—it's to integrate your loss into a life that still holds meaning.