Grief Therapy in Arcadia, CA

Grief and Loss

Have you recently experienced the death of someone you love?
Are you struggling with sadness, guilt, anger, numbness, loneliness, or waves of grief that feel hard to manage?
Do everyday responsibilities feel overwhelming since your loss?
Are you grieving a relationship, major life change, health change, miscarriage, infertility, divorce, or another painful transition?
Are you experiencing anticipatory grief as you prepare for an expected loss?

Grief can feel disorienting, lonely, and exhausting. It can affect your emotions, body, relationships, sleep, work, parenting, concentration, and sense of identity. Sometimes grief comes in waves. Other times, it feels like a constant heaviness that is difficult to explain to others.

At Aspire Counseling Group, we provide compassionate, evidence-based grief therapy in Arcadia, CA for children, teens, adults, couples, and families. Our therapists offer a safe and supportive space to process loss, cope with painful emotions, honor what matters, and begin finding a way forward at your own pace.

Our multilingual team offers therapy in English, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, ASL, and Armenian, with culturally responsive care that honors your background, beliefs, values, family experience, and relationship to loss.

Ready to take the first step towards healing?

You deserve support, and you do not have to carry your grief alone.

Call (626) 639-8844

Text (626) 639-8844

Book Appointment

What is Grief?

Grief is a natural response to loss. It can include sadness, anger, guilt, regret, confusion, longing, numbness, disbelief, anxiety, or even moments of relief. Grief can also affect the body, leading to fatigue, sleep changes, appetite changes, difficulty concentrating, tension, or feeling physically heavy.

Although grief is often associated with the death of a loved one, people can grieve many kinds of losses. This may include divorce, estrangement, infertility, miscarriage, illness, caregiving changes, identity changes, job loss, relocation, trauma, or the loss of the life you expected to have.

There is no single “right” way to grieve. Your grief may look different from someone else’s, and it may change from day to day.

Grief Does Not Follow a Simple Timeline

Many people worry that they are grieving “too much,” “not enough,” or for “too long.” Grief does not move in a straight line, and healing does not mean forgetting, moving on, or being unaffected by the loss.

Some days may feel manageable, while others may bring sudden waves of pain. Anniversaries, holidays, memories, places, songs, family events, or everyday routines can bring grief back in powerful ways. Therapy can help you understand these waves with more compassion and learn how to move through them without feeling so alone.

How Grief Therapy Can Help

Grief therapy gives you a supportive place to talk honestly about your loss without feeling rushed, judged, or expected to “be okay.” Your therapist can help you process painful emotions, make sense of your experience, and cope with the ways grief is affecting your daily life.

Therapy can also help with guilt, regret, anger, unfinished conversations, trauma related to the loss, changes in family roles, and difficulty reconnecting with life after loss. The goal is not to erase grief. The goal is to help you carry it with more support, meaning, and room to keep living.

Our Approach to Grief Counseling

At Aspire Counseling Group, grief counseling is compassionate, personalized, and paced around your needs. We understand that grief is deeply personal and often shaped by culture, family, faith, identity, relationship history, and the nature of the loss.

Depending on your needs, grief therapy may include supportive therapy, trauma-informed therapy, CBT, DBT skills, mindfulness-based strategies, meaning-making, and emotional regulation tools. If grief is connected to trauma, painful memories, or sudden loss, EMDR therapy may also be helpful.

Private therapy office at Aspire Counseling Group in Arcadia, CA

Comfortable private therapy room at Aspire Counseling Group in Arcadia, CA

Finding Meaning Without Rushing Healing

Grief therapy is not about forcing acceptance or finding a silver lining. Some losses are life-changing, and it is normal for them to continue mattering. Healing often means learning how to live with the loss in a different way while staying connected to your values, memories, relationships, and future.

Over time, therapy can help you create space for both grief and life. You can honor what was lost while slowly reconnecting with support, purpose, and moments of peace.

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Common Reasons People Seek Grief Therapy

You may benefit from grief therapy if you are experiencing:

The death of a loved one
Miscarriage, infertility, or pregnancy loss
Divorce, separation, or relationship loss
Estrangement from a family member
Anticipatory grief before an expected loss
Loss related to illness, caregiving, or health changes
Traumatic, sudden, or complicated loss
Guilt, regret, anger, or self-blame after a loss
Feeling numb, disconnected, or unable to cry
Feeling overwhelmed by waves of sadness
Difficulty returning to work, school, parenting, or daily life
Conflict with family members after a loss
Loss of identity, purpose, or sense of direction

You do not need to have the “worst” kind of loss to deserve support. If grief is affecting your well-being, relationships, or daily life, therapy can help.

How Grief and Depression Are Connected

Grief and depression are not the same, but they can overlap. After a significant loss, it is common to feel sadness, emptiness, low energy, sleep changes, appetite changes, difficulty concentrating, and a loss of interest in daily life. For some people, grief can also contribute to depression, especially when the loss feels traumatic, isolating, unresolved, or deeply life-changing.

When grief begins to affect your ability to function, connect with others, care for yourself, or feel any sense of hope, therapy can help you understand what you are experiencing and get the right support. You do not have to know whether what you are feeling is grief, depression, or both before reaching out.

When Existing Depression Makes Grief Feel Heavier

If you were already struggling with depression before a loss, grief may feel even more difficult to carry. Existing depression can make it harder to access support, complete daily tasks, maintain routines, or believe that healing is possible. It can also increase feelings of guilt, hopelessness, numbness, isolation, or emotional exhaustion after a loss.

Grief therapy can help you process the loss while also addressing symptoms of depression that may be making the grief feel heavier. Your therapist can support you in taking small, realistic steps toward stability, connection, and care, without rushing your grief or expecting you to “move on.”

Ivana Gomez del Campo, AMFT, provides grief therapy in English and Spanish.

Meet Ivana

How Grief and Trauma Are Connected

Some losses are traumatic. This may include sudden death, suicide, homicide, accidents, medical trauma, overdose, miscarriage, violence, or witnessing a loved one suffer. In these situations, grief may be mixed with shock, fear, guilt, intrusive memories, nightmares, avoidance, or feeling constantly on edge.

When grief is connected to trauma, it may feel difficult to mourn the loss because your mind and body are still trying to process the way the loss happened. Therapy can help you gently make sense of both the grief and the trauma, without forcing you to talk about details before you feel ready.

When Traumatic Loss Makes Grief More Complicated

Traumatic loss can make grief feel more intense, confusing, or difficult to process. You may replay what happened, wonder if you could have prevented it, avoid reminders, feel disconnected from others, or feel stuck between sadness, anger, fear, and disbelief.

Grief therapy can help you process the loss while also supporting trauma responses that may be affecting your sleep, relationships, body, and sense of safety. When appropriate, EMDR therapy or other trauma-informed approaches may help reduce the emotional intensity connected to painful memories and support healing at a pace that feels safe.

Alicia Rivera, LCSW, PsyD, provides grief therapy and EMDR for teens, adults, and families.

Meet Alicia

How Grief and Anxiety Are Connected

Grief can make the world feel less predictable, less safe, or harder to trust. After a significant loss, you may find yourself worrying more, feeling on edge, fearing another loss, replaying what happened, or feeling anxious about the future.

Anxiety after grief can also show up in the body through restlessness, racing thoughts, trouble sleeping, tightness in the chest, stomach discomfort, or difficulty relaxing. Therapy can help you understand why anxiety may increase after loss, calm the nervous system, and build tools for managing uncertainty while you move through grief.

When Existing Anxiety Makes Grief Feel Harder

If you were already struggling with anxiety before the loss, grief may intensify those symptoms. Existing anxiety can make it harder to tolerate uncertainty, manage painful emotions, or feel grounded when life has changed in a major way.

Grief therapy can help you process the loss while also supporting the anxiety that may come with it. Your therapist can help you build coping tools, reduce avoidance, and move through grief with more support, steadiness, and self-compassion.

Mandarin-speaking therapist in Arcadia, CA

Jennifer Melyan, AMFT, APCC, provides grief therapy in English and Mandarin Chinese

Meet Jennifer

Grief Therapy for Children, Teens, Adults, and Families

Grief affects people differently across ages and stages of life. Children may show grief through behavior changes, clinginess, sleep problems, anger, sadness, or questions that come and go over time. Teens may withdraw, become irritable, struggle in school, or feel pressure to appear “fine.” Adults may carry grief while continuing to work, parent, care for others, or manage family responsibilities.

Aspire Counseling Group offers child therapy, teen therapy, individual therapy, couples counseling, and family therapy for grief and loss. Family therapy can be especially helpful when family members are grieving differently, struggling to communicate, or navigating conflict after a loss.

Anticipatory Grief and Caregiver Grief

Grief can begin before a loss happens. Anticipatory grief may occur when someone you love is seriously ill, declining, aging, or nearing the end of life. You may feel sadness, fear, guilt, anger, exhaustion, or uncertainty while also trying to stay present and supportive.

Caregivers may also experience grief while managing responsibilities, medical decisions, emotional strain, or changes in the relationship. Therapy can provide a place to process these feelings, care for yourself, and prepare emotionally without feeling alone.

Grief Therapy in Arcadia and Online Across California

Aspire Counseling Group provides grief therapy in Arcadia, CA and online therapy across California. Our office serves clients from Arcadia, Pasadena, San Marino, Monrovia, Sierra Madre, Temple City, and the surrounding San Gabriel Valley.

You do not need to know exactly what kind of support you need before reaching out. Our care coordinator will listen to your concerns, answer your questions, and help connect you with a therapist who can support your specific needs.

Getting Started Is Simple

1. Reach out
Call, text, or request an appointment online.

2. We help match you with a therapist
Our care coordinator will listen to what you are going through and help connect you with a therapist who fits your needs, preferences, and schedule.

3. Begin therapy with support
Your therapist will help you process your grief at a pace that feels respectful, supportive, and manageable.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Taking the first step can feel difficult when grief has made life feel heavy, unfamiliar, or overwhelming. We make it easier to get started.

Call or text (626) 639-8844 or schedule an appointment online. We’ll help connect you with a grief therapist who can support your needs and help you move forward with compassion, clarity, and care.

Frequently Asked Questions About Grief Therapy

Q: How do I know if I need grief therapy?
A: You may benefit from grief therapy if loss is affecting your mood, sleep, energy, relationships, work, school, parenting, or ability to function day to day. Therapy can also help if you feel stuck in guilt, anger, regret, numbness, anxiety, or sadness after a loss.

You do not need to wait until grief feels unmanageable to get support. Grief therapy can provide a safe place to process what happened and learn how to care for yourself during a painful time.

Q: Is grief therapy only for the death of a loved one?
A: No. Grief therapy can support many kinds of loss, including death, divorce, miscarriage, infertility, estrangement, illness, caregiving changes, job loss, relocation, trauma, or major life transitions.

If something important has changed or ended, and you are struggling to adjust emotionally, therapy can help you process the loss and begin finding your footing again.

Q: What happens during grief counseling?
A: Grief counseling gives you a supportive space to talk about your loss, understand your emotions, and process the impact of what happened. Your therapist may help you explore sadness, anger, guilt, regret, longing, numbness, or the changes your loss has created in your life.

Therapy can also help you develop coping tools, navigate difficult anniversaries or reminders, communicate with family members, and find ways to honor your loss while continuing to care for yourself.

Q: How long does grief therapy take?
A: The length of grief therapy depends on your loss, your support system, your symptoms, your goals, and how grief is affecting your daily life. Some people benefit from short-term support after a recent loss, while others choose longer-term therapy for complicated grief, trauma, family stress, or ongoing adjustment.

There is no fixed timeline for grief. Your therapist will work with you at a pace that feels respectful and supportive.

Q: What if I feel guilty about feeling better?
A: It is common to feel guilt, self-blame, or discomfort when moments of relief, joy, or normalcy return after a loss. Some people worry that feeling better means they are forgetting, betraying, or minimizing what they lost.

Therapy can help you work through these feelings and understand that healing does not mean your loss no longer matters. It is possible to honor your grief while also allowing yourself to experience support, connection, and moments of peace.

Q: Can therapy help with complicated grief?
A: Yes. Therapy can help when grief feels especially intense, prolonged, traumatic, or difficult to integrate into daily life. Complicated grief may include feeling stuck in acute pain, avoiding reminders, feeling unable to move forward, or struggling with intense guilt, anger, or longing.

A therapist can help you process the loss, understand what may be keeping you stuck, and build support for moving through grief in a way that feels safe and compassionate.

Q: Can grief cause anxiety or depression?
A: Yes. Grief can overlap with anxiety and depression. After a loss, you may feel worried, unsafe, hopeless, numb, exhausted, irritable, or disconnected from life.

Therapy can help you understand whether you are experiencing grief, depression, anxiety, trauma, or a combination of these. You do not need to figure that out on your own before reaching out.

Q: Can children and teens get grief therapy?
A: Yes. Children and teens can benefit from grief therapy when they are struggling after a death, divorce, family change, illness, or other significant loss.

Children may express grief through behavior, play, questions, sleep changes, or separation worries. Teens may become withdrawn, irritable, anxious, sad, or overwhelmed. Therapy can help young people process loss in developmentally appropriate ways while supporting parents and caregivers as well.

Q: Can I do grief therapy online?
A: Yes. Aspire Counseling Group offers online therapy across California in addition to in-person therapy in Arcadia.

Telehealth can be a supportive and convenient option for grief therapy, especially when leaving home feels difficult or when clients need consistent access to care from a private and comfortable space.

Q: Do you accept insurance for grief therapy?
A: Aspire Counseling Group accepts select insurance plans for individual therapy, including grief therapy when it is clinically appropriate and part of your treatment plan. You can learn more on our Fees & Insurance page.

Insurance benefits are verified before your first appointment, but coverage and payment responsibility are ultimately determined by your insurance plan. Private pay is also available for clients who prefer more privacy or flexibility.

Q: How do I get started with grief therapy?
A: Getting started is simple. You can call or text (626) 639-8844 or schedule an appointment online. Our team will help match you with a therapist who is well-suited to your needs, preferences, and goals.