Grief & Loss Therapy
Compassionate, steady support to help you navigate life after loss.
Grief is one of the most universal yet deeply personal human experiences. Whether a loss was sudden and traumatic or followed a long illness, its impact can feel profound and disorientating. Life around you may continue as normal, while your own world feels permanently changed.
You may experience a wide range of emotions such as sadness, anger, relief or guilt, or you may feel numb, detached, or as though you are moving through a fog. There is no single or correct way to grieve.
At Fortitudo Therapy, we offer a compassionate and dedicated space where you can speak openly about your loss without pressure to move on or feel a certain way. Therapy provides support as you learn how to live alongside your grief and gradually begin to reconnect with meaning and purpose in your life.
The Many Faces of Grief
Grief is not a linear process with a clear end point. It often comes in waves. Some days you may feel able to function as usual, while on others even small reminders can bring intense emotion back to the surface. We support clients experiencing many different forms of loss, including:
- Bereavement For example, the death of a parent, partner, child, friend or pet.
- Anticipatory Grief The experience of grieving someone who is still alive but living with a life limiting illness or significant change, such as dementia.
- Non Death Losses Experiences such as divorce, separation, job loss, infertility, or changes in health or mobility which can also bring profound grief.
- Complex or Traumatic Grief When the circumstances surrounding a loss, such as suicide or a sudden accident, make the grieving process feel overwhelming, stuck, or difficult to process.
Physical and Emotional Signs of Grief You Might Recognise
Grief can affect people in many different ways. The experiences below are common examples, but everyone’s response to loss is unique and you may recognise some, all, or none of them.
- Brain fog Difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, or feeling disconnected or mentally distant.
- Fatigue A deep physical and emotional exhaustion that does not fully improve with rest or sleep.
- Anger and irritability Feeling more easily frustrated, snapping at others, or experiencing anger towards the situation, the world, or even the person who has died.
- Guilt Getting caught in thoughts about “what if” or “if only,” or feeling guilty for moments of relief or happiness.
- Withdrawal or isolation Feeling that others do not fully understand your experience, or pulling back from people and conversations that feel overwhelming.
How Therapy Can Support You
Friends and family often want to help, yet they may not know what to say. You might also find yourself trying to protect them from the depth or intensity of your pain.
Therapy provides a neutral and confidential space where you can speak openly and honestly about how you are feeling. There is no expectation to hold yourself together or to make your grief easier for others.
We do not aim to fix your grief, because grief is not an illness. It is a human response to loss. Instead, our work may involve the following.
- Validating your experience Recognising that your reactions, however overwhelming or confusing they may feel, are a natural response to loss.
- Processing complex emotions Gently exploring feelings such as guilt, anger or even relief, which can sometimes complicate the grieving process.
- Adjusting to a new reality Reflecting on who you are now and how to navigate a world that may feel very different.
- Integrating the loss Finding a way to carry what has been lost with you, while also allowing yourself to remain connected to the present and to life as it continues.
Our Values
Empowerment
Collaboration
Inclusivity
Compassion
Integrity
Our Therapeutic Approach
We work in an integrative and compassionate way. This means we draw on different therapeutic models and adapt our approach to where you are in your grieving process. Whether you are in the early stages of shock and disbelief or reflecting on a loss from many years ago, the work is tailored to your needs.
We may use Cognitive Behavioural approaches to explore patterns of thinking that add to your distress. Grief can sometimes be accompanied by self criticism, guilt or unhelpful beliefs about how you should be coping. CBT helps us gently examine these thoughts, consider alternative perspectives and reduce the weight they carry.
ACT can be particularly supportive in grief. It focuses on making space for painful thoughts and emotions rather than struggling against them. The aim is not to remove sadness, but to help you move towards what matters to you, even while grief is present.
Grief can affect both mind and body. Mindfulness practices can help you stay present during intense emotional moments, reduce feelings of overwhelm and support a sense of steadiness and connection within yourself.
Supportive therapy for grief, loss and bereavement, available in person or online.
You can learn more on our Online Therapy Dorset page.
Signs That Additional Support May Be Helpful
The experiences below are examples only. Grief is deeply individual and personal. You may not relate to all of these, and your experience may look very different. There is no single way that grief should feel.
You may wish to consider therapy if you notice any of the following
- Feeling persistently overwhelmed, emotionally numb or unable to cope with daily life.
- Ongoing difficulty sleeping, concentrating or managing work or family responsibilities.
- Intense guilt, anger or regret that feels hard to shift.
- A sense that you would benefit from a confidential and professional space to talk openly.
- Avoiding reminders of the loss to the extent that it is restricting your life.
- Feeling stuck in your grief, with little sense of movement or adjustment over time.
- Experiencing delayed grief, where strong emotions have surfaced months or years later.
- Withdrawing from others or feeling unable to share how you truly feel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Grief is a response to any significant loss. Bereavement is one example, but it is not the only one.
People may also grieve the end of a relationship, changes in health, the loss of a career or role, difficulties with fertility, or other major life transitions. These are simply some examples. Loss can take many forms, and what feels significant is personal to you.
If you are struggling to adjust to a life change that has left you feeling unsettled, empty or unsure of who you are now, this space is here to support you.
The goal of therapy is not to erase the memory of who or what you have lost, nor is it to "fix" your sadness. The goal is to help you integrate the loss into your life so that it feels less like a raw, open wound and more like a part of your story that you can carry without being overwhelmed. We work toward a place where you can remember with love, rather than just pain.
There is no rule. Some people find it helpful to speak to someone immediately to navigate the shock. Others find they cope well initially with family support, but hit a wall months later when the "dust settles" and everyone else goes back to normal. You can seek support whenever you feel you need it, whether the loss was two weeks ago or twenty years ago.