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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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ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS

Aetna, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Maine | BCBS (PPO | HMO | POS), Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Maine | BCBS Medicare Advantage, +24 more
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I believe that our close collaboration is the key to helping you adjust to difficult experiences and achieve a greater sense of balance and happiness ... I believe that our close collaboration is the key to helping you adjust to difficult experiences and achieve a greater sense of balance and happiness in your life. Read more

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Monique Nickie Murray

Hear from Monique Nickie Murray, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC)

View Monique Nickie Murray's profile

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

My go-to approach for helping people in grief and loss counseling is CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy). This allows me to understand the nature of the relationship that is lost or being grieved as well as where the person is within the grief cycle.

What tools do you teach in grief & loss counseling?

Some of the tools I may teach in grief and loss counseling are what the grief cycle looks like (it's not linear), giving oneself grace throughout all of the feelings and emotions, and working within their belief system to offer tools that may be available to them. We may practice mindfulness, writing letters, and, if needed, goal setting for moving forward.

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

I know an individual is making progress in grief and loss counseling when they show and report signs of healing. This looks different for everyone.

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

Clients can supplement grief and loss counseling by using the skills they get from counseling sessions, reading books on grief and loss, or listening to podcasts about grief and loss.

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

A person preparing for their first grief and loss counseling session can remind themself that this is a safe place to grieve, and that includes crying, being angry, and having a good day (smiling and laughing).

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 Portland, ME 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 Portland, ME 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 Portland therapists and counselors accept 29 insurance plans

  • Aetna

  • Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Maine | BCBS Medicare Advantage

  • Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Maine | BCBS (PPO | HMO | POS)

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield | Anthem (Blue Card)

  • Cigna | Evernorth

  • Cigna | Evernorth EAP

  • Cigna | Evernorth Medicare Advantage

  • Community Health Options

  • Compsych

  • First Health Network

  • Harvard Pilgrim

  • Humana Exchange

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Self-pay costs at Portland
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

2.0 Learn about verified reviews
★★☆☆☆
My counselor was great and I adored him, he gets 5/5. I received my first billing statement on 1-16-24, the email saying I could pay in part or in full. I payed about a 3rd, and planned on doing the same for 2 more pay checks. Today, 1-31-24, I received an email thanking me for my payment. Their billing department withdrew the remaining balance,over $350 from my account without authorization. I only had $60 in that account. I work in private healthcare, and my practice would never collect without a clients knowledge and consent. If they won’t pay, we don’t use their stores info and take their money, we send to collections and let them do their job. I did try calling, auto it said wait time 20 minutes. I sent an email to their department at 1ish, didn’t hear anything back by end of business day.
Read more My counselor was great and I adored him, he gets 5/5. I received my first billing statement on 1-16-24, the email saying I could pay in part or in full. I payed about a 3rd, and planned on doing the same for 2 more pay checks. Today, 1-31-24, I received an email thanking me for my payment. Their billing department withdrew the remaining balance,over $350 from my account without authorization. I only had $60 in that account. I work in private healthcare, and my practice would never collect without a clients knowledge and consent. If they won’t pay, we don’t use their stores info and take their money, we send to collections and let them do their job. I did try calling, auto it said wait time 20 minutes. I sent an email to their department at 1ish, didn’t hear anything back by end of business day.
Kali Feb 2024
Thriveworks.com verified review
★★☆☆☆
My counselor was great and I adored him, he gets 5/5. I received my first billing statement on 1-16-24, the email saying I could pay in part or in full. I payed about a 3rd, and planned on doing the same for 2 more pay checks. Today, 1-31-24, I received an email thanking me for my payment. Their billing department withdrew the remaining balance,over $350 from my account without authorization. I only had $60 in that account. I work in private healthcare, and my practice would never collect without a clients knowledge and consent. If they won’t pay, we don’t use their stores info and take their money, we send to collections and let them do their job. I did try calling, auto it said wait time 20 minutes. I sent an email to their department at 1ish, didn’t hear anything back by end of business day.
Read more My counselor was great and I adored him, he gets 5/5. I received my first billing statement on 1-16-24, the email saying I could pay in part or in full. I payed about a 3rd, and planned on doing the same for 2 more pay checks. Today, 1-31-24, I received an email thanking me for my payment. Their billing department withdrew the remaining balance,over $350 from my account without authorization. I only had $60 in that account. I work in private healthcare, and my practice would never collect without a clients knowledge and consent. If they won’t pay, we don’t use their stores info and take their money, we send to collections and let them do their job. I did try calling, auto it said wait time 20 minutes. I sent an email to their department at 1ish, didn’t hear anything back by end of business day.
Kali Jan 2024
Thriveworks.com verified review

Where to find us

Getting here

Thriveworks Counseling Portland is located at the corner of Ashmont Street and Forest Avenue. We share a building with Normandeau Associates and Maine Celtics Sportswear store among other businesses. At the corner, you will find the Forest Ave and 550 Forest Ave bus stop for the 2 bus line.

Phone number

(207) 994-7555

Languages spoken by ME providers

  • English
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
Wednesday 8:00am - 9:00pm

Shown in ET

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
Tuesday 7:00am - 9:30pm
Wednesday 7:00am - 9:30pm

Shown in ET

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