Aviva Psychology Services
Therapy for grief and loss in Massachusetts
Supporting people through loss, uncertainty and change
to feel, heal, and find steadier ground.
Find your place in a moving world
Grief and loss are universal human experiences. In the broadest sense, any change results in loss, and grief is therefore central to life. When someone or something meaningful is gone or changing against your will, everything can suddenly feel unbearable and heartache can be overwhelming. You might be grieving a concrete loss, such as a death, break up, miscarriage or job layoff, or you might be experiencing ambiguous loss, such as dementia with a loved one, infertility, or changing body and mind capacities due to aging. Regardless of the type of loss, the impact is often significant on one's mood, energy, confidence and relationships.
Grief can affect your life in unexpected and painful ways:
- You feel distant or numb, even with people you care about
- Daily tasks feel heavy, and your energy is low
- You feel stuck wanting to fight and change reality, even when you know this isn't possible
- You’re overwhelmed by waves of sadness, anger, and/or guilt
- You wonder if you’ll ever feel okay again
Therapy offers a space where your grief is fully welcome and met with acceptance, compassion, and opportunities to develop coping skills at your own pace. At Aviva, we make room for your grief without rushing your process or minimizing your pain.
What is grief therapy?
Change and loss create significant emotional discomfort. At times, you may feel alone, anxious, or depressed in response to loss, and you may notice urges and behaviors to avoid these feelings.
Grief therapy is support for the emotional pain that follows loss. Loss doesn’t only mean death. It can include the loss of health, identity, future plans, or connection.
In therapy, you can speak honestly about what this loss means to you. You can explore how it’s shaped your emotions, your relationships, and how you see the world now.
You might benefit from grief therapy if:
- You feel emotionally overwhelmed or shut down
- You’re struggling to make sense of what happened
- You want to honor someone or something you lost but aren’t sure how
- You feel pressure to “move on” when you're not ready
- You’re grieving something invisible to others, but still deeply painful
You can learn more about grief and mental health here.
Why choose Aviva Psychology Services?
At Aviva Psychology Services, we believe that emotional freedom and health are directly related to one’s ability to effectively cope with grief and loss. Therefore, we aim to reduce avoidance of emotional discomfort associated with grief and to increase acceptance and tolerance of it. This process requires a unique set of skills that are learnable through therapy, including distress tolerance skills, acceptance skills, self-soothing skills, and skills to tolerate uncertainty. As psychologists who specialize in evidence-based care, we are able to support individuals to build these skills and to cope with both general and traumatic losses.
Our grief therapy process
Getting started doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Here’s what to expect:
Request an Appointment
Once you complete the form, we will reach out. If we have a fitting opening, we schedule a complimentary 15-minute phone consultation to assess fit further together.
Assessment and Planning
The first 2–4 sessions assess your concerns, history, and goals. You and your therapist will discuss fit and establish a treatment plan together.
Ongoing Weekly Sessions
Sessions are held at the same time each week and typically last 55 minutes to work towards your treatment goals.
Start to feel energized by life again
There will come a time when the pain isn’t as sharp, when you laugh without guilt, and when you go longer without crying. There will also come a time when you remember what you lost and feel the familiar ache, but also feel something else, presence, connection, openness, hope.
Therapy won’t "resolve" your grief, but it can help you integrate and live differently with it. Therapy can teach you to create space for your emotions without being overtaken by them and to honor what’s gone without staying stuck in what’s missing. Over time, you may feel more connected to others, more at peace with yourself, and more able to carry your loss with strength.
Benefits of Grief Therapy
Permission to grieve
Be heard and felt in your pain without being rushed or overwhelmed by it. Feel less alone.
Space to reflect
Explore what your loss means and how it’s shaped you.
Support to rebuild
Build skills to honor your loss alongside your life.
FAQs about grief and loss therapy
Is there a right time to start grief counseling?
There’s no perfect timing. Some people begin right after a loss, others wait months or years. We’re here when you're ready.
What kinds of loss do you support?
We support grief of all types, including traumatic loss, concrete loss, and ambiguous loss. We commonly work with grief related to death, infertility, estrangement, divorce or relaitonship loss, identity loss, health changes, aging and more.
What if I’m not crying or don’t feel anything?
That’s okay. Grief looks different for everyone. Numbness, confusion, and even calmness are all valid responses. We are trained to meet you where you are in your grief process while introducing new coping skills at your own pace.
Can therapy help if I feel stuck in my grief?
Yes. We are trained to help you explore what's keeping you stuck and gently begin to shift what feels immovable.
Healing Doesn’t Mean Forgetting
Your loss matters. Your grief deserves space. We're here to foster your ability to honor what’s gone without staying stuck in what’s missing and find value in life after loss.
