Losing a loved one is deeply painful, but for most people, grief gradually eases. Sometimes, however, grief remains intense for months or years, signaling complicated or prolonged grief disorder. Grief therapy is a proven way to help when sadness feels overwhelming. Grief counseling often begins about a week after the funeral.
If you are in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and questioning whether your grief is typical or if you might benefit from support, this guide will help you understand when grief may become complicated and how grief counseling can assist your healing.
What Is Complicated Grief?
Complicated grief is intense sadness that doesn't get better and makes daily life hard. Normal grief eases, but complicated grief stays strong, affects your work, and makes connecting with loved ones difficult.
About 10% of people have prolonged grief disorder, now seen as a mental health condition. This isn't about grieving too slowly—it's about distress that doesn't ease.
Common signs include:
- Persistent yearning for the person who died
- Difficulty accepting the loss, even months later
- Feeling that life has no purpose.
- Avoiding reminders of the loss or being unable to think about anything else.
- Intense guilt or anger that doesn’t fade
How Is Complicated Grief Different from Normal Grief?
Normal grief hurts but gets better with time. You have ups and downs as you slowly adjust to life without your loved one.
With complicated grief, pain stays intense for six months, a year, or more. You may struggle with daily tasks or pull away from supportive friends and family.
Key insight: Complicated grief isn’t a character flaw or a sign of weakness. It’s a recognized condition that responds well to specific types of grief therapy.
What Types of Therapy Are the Best for Grief?
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is most helpful for prolonged grief. It helps you understand your grief, manage your feelings, and make reminders of loss less painful over time.
Grief counseling sessions typically involve:
- Treatment can help you:
- Feel comfortable talking about your loved one Develop coping skills to deal with feelings of sadness, guilt or anxiety
- Create goals to reconnect with life
- Process situations you may be avoiding that cause you distress
- Discover ways to remember your loved one that are meaningful to you and that allow you to move forward
- Process secondary losses that heighten your primary loss by reminding you of other losses you have experienced
Grief-focused CBT works better than general counseling or medication alone. Most people improve within 16-20 weekly sessions with a grief counselor.
The Role of Support Groups
Support groups can enhance individual grief counseling by building a sense of community in challenging times. Attending a support group shows you are not alone in your grief. You can hear how others cope and find hope from those further along in their healing.
Many support groups in Albuquerque meet weekly to talk about anniversaries, holidays, and coping with family members who grieve differently.
Are you ready to begin the healing process?
Book your Albuquerque therapist today.
There are times when grief can be overwhelming, and it helps to seek the assistance of a professional. Here are some indicators that you may benefit from seeing a mental health professional:
- Your grief continues for six months or longer
- You are unable to function at work or connect with others
- You feel extreme guilt or blame yourself
- You isolate yourself from friends, family, and activities
- You’re having thoughts of wanting to die or be with your loved one.
Crisis support: If you’re having thoughts of self-harm, call 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) or go to your nearest emergency room immediately.
In non-crisis situations, a grief counselor specializing in bereavement can provide support to life after loss. Meditation may help reduce grief's physical and psychological effects.
Grief doesn't follow a straight path. You might move between feelings or have setbacks. That's normal.
Therapy helps if you're stuck in shock, anger, or sadness, even after time has passed.
Grief counseling helps you work through each area, giving you tools to cope with difficult emotions while honoring your loved one.
How Grief Therapy Helps You Move Forward
Therapy helps you accept the loss, process pain, and adjust. Your therapist will help you:
Understand your reactions. Learn why grief can feel so strong and why some people develop complicated grief. Understanding helps you feel less alone. Therapists may use the 'four tasks of mourning' to guide you.
Face avoided situations. Many people with complicated grief avoid places or doing things that bring back memories of people they lost. Therapy helps you gradually face these reminders in a safe way.
Restore meaningful connections. Grief often leads to isolation. Your grief counselor will help you reconnect with family members and friends, find new activities, and set goals for the future.
Prepare for difficult times. Anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays can bring surges of grief. Your therapist will help you plan ahead and develop coping strategies.
Remember: Seeking help for grief is a sign of strength, not weakness. You don’t have to carry this pain alone.
Finding Grief Counseling in Albuquerque
If you’re in Albuquerque, New Mexico, accessing grief therapy is easier than you might think. Many mental health professionals specialize in bereavement work and understand the unique challenges of complicated grief.
When choosing a grief counselor, look for someone who:
- Has specific training in grief therapy
- Uses evidence-based approaches like CBT
Develop a Favorable Environment You Feel Safe In
- Understands that everyone’s grief process looks different
The therapists at Odyssey Counseling of Albuquerque understand how devastating loss can be and how hard it is to ask for help when you’re grieving. Whether you lost a parent, partner, child, or close friend, grief counseling can help you find a path through the pain toward healing and hope.
If you’re struggling with grief that won’t ease, take action now—schedule an appointment with a therapist who specializes in grief and loss. You deserve compassionate support as you move toward healing.
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