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

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

Meet with a provider as soon as this week

Aetna, AmeriHealth Administrators, AmeriHealth Pennsylvania, +11 more
Self Esteem, Stress, Addiction, Bipolar Disorder, Borderline Personality, +5 more

As someone who has been in therapy at multiple points in my life, I know how hard it can be to find a therapist who sees you as a whole person.

Aetna, Ambetter from Pennsylvania Health and Wellness, AmeriHealth Administrators, +34 more
Anger, Behavioral Issues, Stress, ADHD, Anxiety, +3 more

80 more therapists available in Pennsylvania

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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 40 insurance plans

  • Aetna

  • Ambetter from Pennsylvania Health and Wellness

  • AmeriHealth Administrators

  • AmeriHealth Medicare Advantage

  • AmeriHealth Pennsylvania

  • Capital BlueCross of Pennsylvania | BCBS

  • Capital BlueCross of Pennsylvania | BCBS Medicare Advantage

  • Carelon

  • Carelon | Medicare Advantage

  • Cigna | Evernorth

  • Cigna | Evernorth Medicare Advantage

  • Compsych

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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

4.8 Learn about verified reviews
★★★★★
My experience was extremely positive . My Therapist immediately established trust. Which is essential for me to discuss disclose verbalize my feelings
Barbara Apr 2025
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★★★★
My therapist is absolutely amazing at her job. She is very helpful and very nice and truly listens and understands
Jamie Apr 2025
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★★★★
I have been working with my Thriveworks provider for several months now and I've come to know him as someone that I can identify with, who is very compatible with my personality, and has offered me some great insights as to looking at things in my life in ways that I have improved upon as a result and I look forward to continuing to work with him.
Read more I have been working with my Thriveworks provider for several months now and I've come to know him as someone that I can identify with, who is very compatible with my personality, and has offered me some great insights as to looking at things in my life in ways that I have improved upon as a result and I look forward to continuing to work with him.
John Apr 2025
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★★★★
Marla has been a huge help to me in my transition into parenthood and in my continuing effort to regulate my emotions. She has given me tools and resources to do this and has also given me space to vent frustrations and celebrate small wins with her. I can safely say the last few months of my life would have been a lot harder without Marla.
Read more Marla has been a huge help to me in my transition into parenthood and in my continuing effort to regulate my emotions. She has given me tools and resources to do this and has also given me space to vent frustrations and celebrate small wins with her. I can safely say the last few months of my life would have been a lot harder without Marla.
Katherine Apr 2025
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★★☆☆
It was nothing that really stood out it was just the expected start to a first therapy session, it wasn't bad at all though just about average.
Lameer Apr 2025
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★★★★
I appreciate the patience, emotional support and sincere advice that my therapist has to give me.
Suneet Apr 2025
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★★★★
Brain was on time which I appreciate and super friendly during our intake session.
Gwyn Apr 2025
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★★★★
Thriveworks: Thriveworks has been great for finding a therapist who is in-network with my insurance, and their reps have helped when there were insurance issues too. It's great to be able to try a few therapists until you find the right fit. . . My provider, Jacquelyn: Jacquelyn has been hugely helpful as I work through a life transition of one relationship ending, and then another. She has helped me understand more about myself, shared strategies I can use to develop healthy habits and patterns, and overall helped me live more from a mindset of openness and opportunity.
Read more Thriveworks: Thriveworks has been great for finding a therapist who is in-network with my insurance, and their reps have helped when there were insurance issues too. It's great to be able to try a few therapists until you find the right fit. . . My provider, Jacquelyn: Jacquelyn has been hugely helpful as I work through a life transition of one relationship ending, and then another. She has helped me understand more about myself, shared strategies I can use to develop healthy habits and patterns, and overall helped me live more from a mindset of openness and opportunity.
Peter Apr 2025
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

  • Greek
  • English
  • Spanish
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
Tuesday 8:00am - 9:00pm

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

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