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657 people sought grief & loss counseling help at Norfolk in the last year

Discover how starting therapy with a grief & loss counseling can support your own journey toward a happier, more fulfilling life.

Meet with a provider as soon as this week

Good news! We have 50 therapists in Virginia available for an online or in-person session.
Sarah Stovall

Hear from Sarah Stovall, Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist (LMFT)

View Sarah Stovall's profile

What is your go-to approach for grief & loss counseling?

My go-to approaches for helping people in grief and loss counseling are empathy, compassion, understanding, psychoeducation, CBT, and other skills to support healing, functional improvement, emotional management, and acceptance.

What tools do you teach in grief & loss counseling?

I teach the following tools in grief and loss counseling:

  • Stages of grief
  • Processing grief
  • Challenging negative/unhelpful thoughts
  • Reframing unhelpful thinking
  • Psychoeducation on grief
  • Psychoeducation on trauma responses and coping (as needed)
  • Healthy coping/calming skills
  • Grounding techniques
  • Self-care

How do you know when a client is making meaningful progress in grief & loss counseling?

I know a client is making meaningful progress in grief and loss counseling when they are reporting and demonstrating increased management of emotional regulation, utilization of coping skills, and improved functioning in life overall.

What can clients do in their personal time to supplement grief & loss counseling?

Clients can supplement their time in grief and loss counseling through the use of skills and other tools learned in sessions to be practiced and applied outside of sessions to achieve the best results for promoting positive change.

What should someone do to prepare for starting grief & loss counseling?

To prepare for their first grief and loss counseling session, an individual can expect an intake session where questions will be asked in a gentle and compassionate format to gather needed information to help identify and support treatment goals.

Starting Grief & loss counseling

What type of counseling is needed when a person cannot get over the grief of losing a loved one?

Grief and loss counseling helps people grieve difficult losses including the death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship. It helps people navigate their grief process and eventually accept, understand, and move forward from their loss. Thriveworks grief therapists in Norfolk, VA have specific experience, training, and skills that enable them to best support grieving individuals.

How does grief and loss counseling work?

Grief and loss counseling isn’t one-size-fits-all, but it involves sharing about your loss and then working with your counselor to acknowledge and accept your new reality in its wake. Your provider at Thriveworks in Norfolk, VA will design your treatment plan around your unique needs and goals for therapy, applying the counseling techniques that best support them.

Signs I should seek grief counseling

If you have recently experienced an event like the death of a loved one, a breakup or divorce, the loss of a job, or another major life change, then you may want to seek grief and loss counseling. Grief can be caused by many experiences and events, so if you feel that you are having trouble moving on from a certain event or find that it is still impacting your life and functioning, grief and loss counseling can help you process it more effectively so that you can move on and once again find fulfillment and satisfaction in your life.

What counseling theory is best for grief?

There are many counseling theories for treating grief, one of the most frequently used being the dual process model of grief which helps people acknowledge who or what they’ve lost through rumination while also adjusting to the new roles and identities that this loss has now placed on them. There are also many commonly used therapy approaches used in grief and loss counseling, including Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and traumatic grief therapy.

Is grief counseling conducted in person or online?

Grief & loss counseling at Thriveworks is conducted both in person and online by video. We encourage you to choose the option that works best for you.

How long does grief counseling last?

For many, grief and loss counseling lasts for about 6 months. For others, it may last shorter or longer, depending on the severity of their loss and their grief.

Need more help deciding?

Sadness, Bereavement, Loss—Grief Counseling in Norfolk, VA

One of life’s most painful experiences may be losing a loved one. Whether a family member or friend, people usually react to bereavement with grief. Going through a process of grief, or a grief cycle, is a normal human experience. People often grieve after losing anyone or anything they love. Everyone experiences loss at some point in life, and grief often follows loss. While grief is common, it is not a simple experience. The grief cycle is a complicated journey, replete with complex emotions and mental health challenges. Many people have found that grief counseling helps them navigate grief and loss in a healthy way.

The grief counselors and therapists at Thriveworks Norfolk, VA have guided many clients through the grief cycle and helped them find joy and happiness after loss. Reach out today for help.

What Does Grief Feel Like?

Grief is often, but not always, unexpected. Other losses are anticipated, even planned. When people change jobs or careers, they may prepare for months, even years, for the transition. And yet, grief can also hit during or after a planned loss.

Regardless of the loss’ circumstances, grief is almost always accompanied by various and intense emotions. There are no right feelings or wrong feelings. Emotions, instead, are helpful indicators about why the loss is significant to each individual person. Paying attention to emotions that arise during grief is important. Anyone who is struggling with loss, bereavement, and grief may be feeling…

  • Sadness
  • Anger
  • Helplessness
  • Regret
  • Isolated
  • Apathetic
  • Exhaustion
  • Shock
  • Relief
  • Impatient
  • Guilt
  • Confusion
  • Restlessness
  • Disorientation
  • Yearning

It is okay to experience grief in a unique way. Giving yourself time to reflect about what was lost and how you are feeling about the loss can be an important part of healing. Many people have found the support they need to process their grief through working with a caring grief counselor. Thriveworks Norfolk, VA’s grief counselors have helped many of their clients reconstruct a fulfilling life and recover from grief’s pain.

How Can Grief Counseling Help?

Maybe you can relate to the difficulty that loss brings into people’s lives. Maybe you are intrigued by grief counseling but are wondering what it involves. So, what happens at grief counseling? The therapists at Thriveworks Norfolk often help their clients understand what they are feeling and why they might be feeling that way. With a compassionate presence, our grief counselors often walk through painful memories, desires, feelings, and more. They can help clients process and cope with the pain of loss.

Once clients have processed the loss, they are often ready to think about rebuilding the future. Thriveworks Norfolk, VA counselors have helped their clients make space in their lives for a new fulfilling future. This might include pursuing new relationships, establishing a new routine, or trying a new hobby. While pursuing these new experiences can be scary, many clients also find new hope, new meaning, and new happiness as they rebuild their lives. There is no silver bullet or quick-fix to grief. Therapy takes time and effort, but many clients find that finding a healthy path through grief and walking that path with a trusted therapists was well worth it.

Making a Grief Counseling Appointment at Thriveworks Norfolk

Have you recently lost a loved one? Has a major change left you sad about how different your life is now? Are you ready to have some support as you navigate grief? Thriveworks Norfolk, VA has grief counseling appointments available.

We understand that everyday life is harder after a loss, so we have tried to make scheduling an appointment for grief therapy as easy as possible. We accept most insurance providers. When you call to schedule an appointment, you may be able to make your appointment within the week. We also offer evening and weekend sessions.

Do not navigate grief alone. Call to start grief therapy through Thriveworks Norfolk, VA.

Pricing & insurance

Our therapists accept most major insurances. We accept 585+ insurance plans, and offer self-pay options, too.
Learn more about pricing for therapy and counseling services at Thriveworks.

Our Norfolk therapists and counselors accept 27 insurance plans

  • Aetna

  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Virginia Medicare Advantage

  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Virginia | BCBS HMO

  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Virginia | BCBS PPO

  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Virginia | Exchange

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield | Anthem (Blue Card)

  • Carelon

  • Cigna | Evernorth

  • Cigna | Evernorth EAP

  • Cigna | Evernorth Medicare Advantage

  • Compsych

  • First Health Network

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Self-pay costs at Norfolk
Talk therapy

Talk therapy

Includes individual, couples, child/ teen, & family therapy

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Talk therapy

Psychiatry

Includes reducing symptoms with medication & management

First session

$1

Ongoing sessions

$1

Hear from our clients

Thriveworks Norfolk has no reviews yet, but check out these reviews from locations in Virginia.

4.5 Thriveworks Norfolk reviews are collected through Thriveworks.com.
★★★★★
Thriveworks helped me realize that I do believe people can change. I’m not the person I was three months ago, broken and fearful. I’m healthy and happy and for the first time being kind to myself. Thank you for giving me my life back.
Read more Thriveworks helped me realize that I do believe people can change. I’m not the person I was three months ago, broken and fearful. I’m healthy and happy and for the first time being kind to myself. Thank you for giving me my life back.
Anonymous Thriveworks Client
Review left on Thriveworks.com

Where to find us

Getting here

Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Norfolk is located on Hampton Blvd, near the intersection with Redgate Avenue and the Midtown Tunnel. The building is nestled between the Elizabeth River and the historic Ghent residential district, just down the street from Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

Phone number

(757) 280-4736

Languages spoken by VA providers

  • English
Friday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Saturday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Sunday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Monday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Tuesday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Wednesday 8:00am - 9:00pm
Thursday 8:00am - 9:00pm

Shown in ET

Friday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Saturday 7:00am - 6:00pm
Sunday 8:00am - 5:00pm
Monday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Tuesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Wednesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Thursday 7:00am - 9:30pm

Shown in ET

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