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686,000 people sought help with Thriveworks in the last year

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

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Mark Bingel McKillips

Hear from Mark Bingel McKillips, Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW)

View Mark Bingel McKillips's profile

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

My go-to approach for helping people in grief and loss counseling focuses on helping the individual process this loss. This is generally done with a grief narrative interview and involves helping the client share their experience of their relationship with the person who is now absent in their lives. Helping the individual allow themself to experience sadness is an important part of the healing process. Engaging in a celebration of the life of the individual who is lost helps establish a sense of connection that goes beyond the afterlife. Eventually, the goal is to help a client accept the change in their life, feel the continued connection with the individual, and accept that sadness for the loss will come and go, but likely at a lesser intensity than near the time of loss. Sometimes, grief can be complicated. For example, there are times when a client grieves the loss of a person who has greatly harmed them. The polarized emotions that can be felt for parents, for instance, may require some disentangling. It is possible to have both love and extreme resentment for a loved one. Helping a person better understand this paradox can help them come to a greater sense of peace with the loss.

What tools do you teach in grief & loss counseling?

I introduce some CBT-oriented tools such as thought-stopping, cognitive restructuring, and cognitive reframing.

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

I know a client is making meaningful progress when they are more consistently meeting their goals and objectives.

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

Clients can supplement their time in grief and loss counseling by engaging in remembrances. Informal actions in memoriam such as visiting a grave site or writing a letter to a deceased loved one can help a client rekindle a lost sense of connection with the deceased.

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

Clients preparing for therapy should take a risk and come with an open mind. Usually, clients find that the process is much less intimidating than they think it might be.

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 Philadelphia, PA 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 Philadelphia, PA 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.

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 Philadelphia therapists and counselors accept 39 insurance plans

  • Aetna

  • Ambetter from Pennsylvania Health and Wellness

  • AmeriHealth Administrators

  • AmeriHealth Medicare Advantage

  • AmeriHealth Pennsylvania

  • 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 Philadelphia
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

5.0 Learn about verified reviews
★★★★★
I think Marla is Excellent for helping me out! Listens! Helps out in everyway!
Dennis Jan 2024
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★★★★
I think Marla is an Excellent Therapist!! She listened. And really helps me at this point!@
Dennis Dec 2023
Thriveworks.com verified review

Where to find us

Getting here

Thriveworks Counseling & Psychiatry Philadelphia is off of Ludlow Street and S 40th Street. We are near Smoke Shop Convenience and Locust Moon Comics.

Phone number

(267) 440-7066

Languages spoken by PA providers

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

Shown in ET

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

Shown in ET

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