Grief Counseling in Dallas & Online Texas: Your Space to Honor Loss
Grief has a way of rewriting the story you thought you were living. It doesn’t show up with a warning or resolve on a schedule. Sometimes you feel it in quiet moments alone; other times, it pops up without warning. You may be grieving someone dear to you, or a version of your life, identity, or relationships that no longer exists. Loss can take many forms, but its impact is always deeply personal.
Whatever your grief looks like, your story matters, and it’s still unfolding.
What Is Grief? Understanding Your Unique Response to Loss
Grief is a normal, and very human, response to loss. It’s much more than just sadness; it can include, but is not limited to, anger, numbness, longing, confusion, or even relief. Most people get to know grief after the death of a loved one, but grief can also stem from:
- The end of a relationship or a significant friendship.
- Identity shifts or major life transitions.
- Estrangement from family or a cherished community.
- The loss of health, safety, or a profound sense of belonging.
- World events or experiences of collective grief.
Most importantly, there are no qualifications for grief. If you feel it, you feel it. Your grief is valid, however it shows up. My expertise as a grief counselor in Dallas and online throughout Texas acknowledges every form of loss.
Signs You Might Need Support: When Grief Feels Overwhelming
While grief is a natural process, there are times when its intensity or duration can become overwhelming, making it hard to move forward. My experience in grief counseling helps me recognize when additional support can be profoundly beneficial.
Common Indicators You Could Benefit from Grief Support:
- Feeling overwhelmed or persistently stuck in sadness.
- Experiencing numbness or emotional shutdown.
- Difficulty functioning effectively at work, home, or socially.
- Waves of anxiety, irritability, or persistent guilt.
- Significant changes in appetite, sleep patterns, or energy levels.
- Consistently avoiding reminders of the loss, or conversely, feeling entirely consumed by them.
- A sense that others “don’t get it” or are pressuring you to “move on” before you're ready.
- Questioning your identity or life direction in the profound aftermath of loss.
How I Treat Grief: Honoring Your Path to Healing
Grief isn’t something to “fix,” but it absolutely can be witnessed, honored, and held. At Violet Counseling, I offer a compassionate space to move through grief in your own way, without judgment or pressure to reach a specific "closure." My expertise centers on supporting your unique journey through loss.
My Approach to Grief Counseling Uses:
- Narrative Therapy: To help you make profound sense of your evolving story and learn to hold meaning alongside loss, allowing your narrative to truly unfold.
- Person-Centered Therapy: To offer a deeply compassionate space where you lead the way. Your grief can unfold in its own time, and your voice, values, and meaning stay at the center of your healing story.
- Mindfulness & Somatic Tools: To gently ground you in the present moment and effectively support your nervous system as you experience the physical sensations of grief.
- Identity-Affirming Care: To explicitly honor the ways grief uniquely intersects with your queerness, family dynamics, cultural background, or experiences of marginalization, providing truly inclusive grief support.
Got Questions? We've Got Answers! (FAQs)
Grief isn't a timeline—it's a landscape. In our sessions, we'll:
- Map your unique grief waves (anniversaries, triggers, unexpected moments)
- Develop "weatherproofing" tools for when storms hit
- Redefine "normal" to include your loss without erasing joy
Research shows grief evolves but often doesn't "end"—and that's okay.
All losses deserve witness. I specialize in "disenfranchised grief" for:
- Identity shifts (queer coming out, disability onset, aging)
- Living losses (dementia, estrangement, chronic illness)
- Invisible sorrows (infertility, career dreams, safety)
Your pain is valid even without societal recognition.
Numbness is your nervous system's shield. We'll gently:
- Explore somatic (body-based) approaches when words fail
- Respect protective dissociation while creating safety
- Identify "unfreezing" triggers (music, scents, movement)