Grief & Loss Support

Grief is love with nowhere to go. It echoes through our bodies, stories, and silences when someone or something deeply meaningful is no longer part of everyday life.

While grief is universal, your grief is your own. It may follow the death of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, home, role, dream, pet, or spiritual path. It may come in waves or feel like a fog. You may grieve someone you loved deeply — or someone who left you with pain.

Grief doesn’t always look like sadness. And it doesn’t always make sense.

What Does Grief Look Like?

Grief can show up in many ways, including:

Numbness or emotional flatness
Anger, regret, or guilt
Restlessness or disrupted sleep
Overwhelm in social settings
Disconnection from identity or purpose
Changes in appetite or energy
A quiet voice asking, “Who am I now?”

There is no “correct” way to grieve. No timeline. No checklist. Just what is — in your body, your parts, your story, and your stillness.

Beyond the Five Stages

You may have heard of the “five stages of grief” (denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance), but those were never meant to be prescriptive. Many people experience none of them — or all of them — in no particular order.

David Kessler later added a sixth stage: finding meaning. This can be supportive for some, but it’s not a requirement.

At Reclaiming Hope Wellness Center, we believe your grief is valid — whether it’s chaotic or quiet, loud or longing, unresolved or just beginning.

What Types of Grief Do You Support?

We offer grief therapy to adults across Illinois navigating all forms of loss, including:

Recent or long-ago death of a loved one
Complicated or ambiguous grief
Loss after estrangement, trauma, or abuse
Anticipatory grief (e.g., caregiving, terminal illness)
Disenfranchised grief (e.g., miscarriage, pet loss, spiritual crisis)
Legacy grief tied to intergenerational, ancestral, or cultural trauma
Identity grief — such as losing a sense of community, belonging, or spiritual home

You don’t need to name your grief perfectly. You only need to begin where you are.

How Can Therapy Support Grief?

Grief isn’t something to “get over.” It’s something to be witnessed, honored, and supported — with care, at your pace.

Your therapy might include:

Presence & pacing: Holding space without pressure
Parts work (IFS): Supporting grieving, exiled, or protective parts
Somatic practices: Tending to where grief lives in the body
Ritual, legacy, and meaning-making: Honoring what was lost and what still lives
Creative tools: When words aren’t enough — art, movement, imagery
Spiritual or ancestral integration: If meaningful for your healing

Whether your grief is recent, longstanding, confusing, or quietly aching, you deserve support that meets you where you are.

You Are Not Alone in This

Grief can make it feel like the world has changed and no one else sees it. But you don’t have to carry that silence alone.

If you’re struggling with grief — or simply need a place to let your loss breathe — we’re here. We offer grief therapy for adults across Illinois, virtually and with care.

No timelines. No expectations. Just a place to grieve freely, however it shows up.

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don’t feel “sad” — can I still be grieving?
Yes. Grief may show up as numbness, anger, exhaustion, or even relief. All of it is valid. There’s no single way to grieve.

Can therapy help even if the loss was a long time ago?
Absolutely. Some grief resurfaces in new ways over time. Therapy offers space to revisit, reprocess, or finally feel what couldn’t be felt before.

What is ambiguous or disenfranchised grief?
Ambiguous grief involves unclear or unresolved loss (e.g., estrangement, chronic illness). Disenfranchised grief refers to losses society doesn’t always validate — like pet loss, miscarriage, or spiritual rupture.

Is virtual grief therapy effective?
Yes. Our telehealth sessions allow you to access support from anywhere in Illinois, in the privacy and comfort of your space.

If you’re struggling to carry a loss, reach out, one of our therapists would be honored to support you – with tenderness, without timelines, and always on your terms.

Explore More Support

Grief can arise after a death, a change, or the quiet loss of something once felt as home. Many clients also explore other experiences that intersect with mourning, meaning, or identity. You might also explore:

Depression – When grief settles into heaviness, numbness, or a sense of disconnection
Trauma, PTSD & Complex PTSD – If your grief is layered with traumatic memories, sudden loss, or past overwhelm
Anxiety – When grief brings fear, tension, or a sense that nothing feels safe anymore
Life Transitions – If your loss is tied to identity change, aging, role shifts, or the end of a chapter
Dissociative Disorders – When parts of you protect against overwhelming sorrow or hold grief you can’t yet touch

Offering Telehealth Services to Illinois Residents