Grief Therapy When Loss Changes Who You Are

Grief is often spoken about as something to move through or recover from. In practice, many people find that loss does not simply fade with time. It reshapes how they see themselves, their relationships, and the future they imagined.

Grief therapy becomes relevant when loss is no longer just about missing someone or something, but about feeling fundamentally altered by its absence. This can follow the death of a loved one, but also the loss of health, identity, safety, community, or a role that once gave life structure and meaning.

Many people arrive in therapy saying they “should be coping better by now”. Others describe functioning well on the outside while feeling disconnected, numb, or emotionally overloaded underneath. Grief does not always look like sadness. It can show up as irritability, exhaustion, guilt, anxiety, or a quiet sense of disorientation.

Grief therapy offers a space where loss does not need to be minimised, rushed, or explained away. It recognises that grief is not linear and does not follow predictable stages. Instead, it honours grief as a natural response to attachment and meaning.

In my work, grief therapy is relational, trauma-informed, and paced with care. We focus on understanding how loss has affected your nervous system, relationships, and sense of self. This includes making space for the parts of you that are still holding pain, as well as the parts that are trying to keep going.

For some, grief becomes complicated by earlier trauma, caregiving responsibilities, cultural expectations, or a lack of space to mourn openly. Therapy helps untangle these layers gently, without forcing resolution or closure.

Grief therapy is not about letting go of what mattered. It is about learning how to carry loss in a way that allows life to continue with integrity, connection, and meaning.

If you would like to explore grief therapy in a supportive, non-pathologising space, I invite you to reach out.

Based in Perth, WA, LEXs provides telehealth counselling across Australia for individuals, couples, and NDIS participants. Services extend to Social Work supervision, Peer Work supervision, training, and keynote speaking on men’s mental health, CaLD community wellbeing, and culturally responsive suicide prevention; helping people and organisations make mental-health care more compassionate, inclusive, and effective. LEXs provides services across Australia, supporting clients in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and beyond. To learn more about our work across Australia, visit LEXs' services page.