Professional Support Through the Stages of Loss
Loss touches everyone at some point in life. Whether it's the passing of someone close, the end of a relationship, or a big change in your day-to-day routine, grief often shows up in ways that can feel confusing or even overwhelming. It doesn't just affect emotions either. It can also show up physically or make it harder to focus, sleep, or feel connected to others. There’s no single timeline or pattern for how grief plays out because every person and every loss is different.
Even though grief is a part of life, that doesn’t mean it’s easy to face. Some days are more complex than others, and there might be moments when you feel stuck or unsure how to keep going. This is where support can make a big difference. Having a therapist by your side can help you move through the stages of loss with more care and less shame. Understanding these stages and exploring what grief therapy offers may give you a clearer path when everything else feels jumbled.
Understanding The Stages of Loss
Grief doesn’t have a straight line. It comes and goes, sometimes when you least expect it. Even though everyone’s experience is personal, there are common emotional stages that many people move through. These are often known as the five stages of loss:
1. Denial – In the beginning, it can feel hard to believe the loss really happened. A person might feel frozen or disconnected, like they’re moving through fog.
2. Anger – This stage is about frustration, sadness, or sometimes even blaming. It’s a normal piece of grief, even if it doesn’t always come out gently.
3. Bargaining – This usually sounds like “if only” thoughts. A person might replay situations in their mind, imagining different outcomes.
4. Depression – There can be a deep sense of sadness, emptiness, or hopelessness after accepting the reality of the loss.
5. Acceptance – This doesn’t mean being okay with what happened. It means beginning to make peace with the loss so a person can keep living their life with it.
It’s important to mention that these stages don’t always go in order. You might move back and forth between them or skip one altogether. Some people feel stuck in one stage for longer than expected. Others may feel pressure to “get over it” quickly, especially in a fast-paced city like Chicago, where life tends to keep moving. Feeling grief months or even years later doesn't mean you're doing it wrong.
The Role of Grief Therapy
Grief therapy gives people a safe space to talk about their loss, figure out how it’s affecting different parts of their lives, and learn new ways to cope. It’s not about fixing grief or getting rid of the pain. The goal is to help someone carry that pain more gently and with support.
Here are a few parts of grief therapy that can make a difference:
- Talk therapy, where you can speak freely and unpack what the loss means to you
- Mindfulness, which helps you stay grounded and more present in your body and surroundings
- Tools for everyday coping, like ways to manage triggers, sleep troubles, or moments of high emotion
- Getting to know your needs, even the ones that are easy to overlook while you’re grieving
Therapy can also make room for complicated feelings, especially when the loss doesn’t fit into society’s more typical views of grief. That could be losing a relationship that wasn’t public, grieving someone you weren’t close to, or feeling relief and sadness at the same time. Every kind of grief deserves support.
In places like The Loop in Chicago, where work-life stress can pile up fast and the pressure to keep things together runs high, having regular grief therapy sessions can give people the pause they need. A therapist won’t rush your process. They’re there to listen, reflect with you, and walk alongside you as things shift. Whether you’re at the start of your grief or somewhere in the thick of it, therapy can meet you right where you are.
Finding Grief Support in Chicago
Looking for grief support in a city as busy as Chicago might feel like one more hard thing to do. But it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether you’re downtown or in a nearby neighborhood, there are therapists and centers ready to offer support tailored to your experience. The key is finding someone who feels like a good fit, someone you can talk to openly and safely.
Here are a few ideas to help you get started:
- Start with location. Search for therapists near where you live or work. If you're in areas like River North, The Loop, or Michigan Avenue, aim for offices that are close enough to make attending feel manageable
- Look at specialties. Focus your search on therapists who mention grief therapy, loss, or life transitions as part of their work
- Think about your comfort level. Some people prefer in-person sessions, while others like the convenience of telehealth. Make that part of your decision process
- Ask questions. When you reach out to a therapist, don’t hesitate to ask how they typically support clients through grief. Ask about their approach and style
- Take your time. You don’t need to lock into anything during your first session. Use that space to see how you feel around them
A good therapist won’t pressure you to move on or try to fix your pain. In many cases, just sitting in a space where your grief is fully welcomed without being judged or analyzed is healing in itself. For some people, therapy also becomes a place to explore the future. Not to rush away from sadness, but to figure out how to live alongside it while still building something new.
Taking The First Steps Toward Healing
Acknowledging your grief is often the first step, and it’s one of the hardest. It’s common to push it aside and stay busy. Sometimes the feelings are so heavy, it can be tempting to pretend they aren’t there at all. But avoiding grief usually makes the pain feel sharper later on. Therapy is one way to give your grief room to breathe so it doesn’t have to leak into every part of life.
If you’re thinking about starting therapy, here are a few small, practical steps to begin:
1. Ask yourself what kind of support you need right now. Do you need someone to just listen, or do you want guidance and tools to help keep moving
2. Write down a few goals for therapy, not big ones, just a sense of what you hope to get from it
3. Explore options nearby, especially within your day-to-day path in Chicago. The Loop has a range of accessible therapy offices
4. Schedule one intro session to see how it feels, no pressure
5. Give yourself grace throughout the process. Missing a session or feeling uncertain doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong
Healing doesn’t look the same for everyone. Some people share a lot. Others sit in silence for a while. There’s no right way to show up. What matters is that you take a step that feels kind to yourself. Therapy gives you a space to do that, again and again, at your own pace.
Your Path to Peace
Grief isn’t something that clocks out after a certain amount of time. It doesn't follow your schedule or come with clear instructions. It changes shape as you shift through it, and sometimes it circles back when you least expect it. None of this means you’re doing it wrong. It just means you’re human.
Having someone there during those ups and downs can make a hard season feel less lonely. Support shows up in many ways, in quiet listening, in shared breathing, or just in knowing you don’t have to carry it all by yourself. If you’re in Chicago and looking for grief therapy, know that help is nearby, and it’s okay to ask for it.
You deserve space to heal, to feel seen, and to move forward piece by piece. There’s no rush and no perfect blueprint: just your pace, your story, and the care you allow into it.
When grief feels overwhelming, reaching out for support can be a crucial step towards healing. At Through Therapy, our dedicated grief and loss therapist team in Chicago is committed to offering you the compassionate care and understanding you need. Let us walk alongside you as you navigate the stages of loss in a safe and nurturing environment. Begin your journey towards comfort and acceptance today.
