Online Grief Therapy for Complicated Loss, Guilt, & Overwhelm
You’re the one who holds everything together, but things still feel unresolved.
Virtual grief counseling for adults in Colorado, Texas, Virginia, and Florida.
2026 Grief Intensive on Lake Michigan ~ Two Available Weekends
However Your Grief Looks ~ Online Grief Counseling Can Help
You’re used to handling things with strength and logic.
You’re the one who fixes problems, anticipates needs, and holds everything together. Maybe you even held things together through the loss itself. The logistics, the phone calls, everyone else's feelings.
From the outside, you look capable. Reliable. In control.
But grief doesn’t respond to logic.
You can't fix it, out-think it, or schedule it for a better time.
And doesn’t always look like crying.
It can look like:
irritability you can't explain
exhaustion that doesn't go away
going through the motions of your own life
holding it together… until you can't
You might be noticing:
Deep exhaustion that rest or “self-care” doesn't touch
Replaying the last weeks or months: what you said, what you missed, what you'd do differently
Guilt that doesn't respond to reassurance ~ for what you did, what you couldn't do, or for feeling relieved
Still not quite believing it happened, even months later
Grieving before the loss has fully happened, while caregiving, or watching someone change
Grieving something others don't get, so you've stopped bringing it up
Crying at nothing, then feeling nothing at the moments you're "supposed" to
This is what grief can look like. Especially when:
the relationship was painful, unclear, or unfinished
the loss came with guilt, or relief, or both
the loss was sudden, or a suicide, and your mind is still trying to catch up to it
you were the caregiver, and now you don't know who you are without it
you're the one everyone else leans on, so nobody asks how you're doing
If any of this feels true, you're not alone.
And you don't have to wait until it gets worse to get support. Grief doesn't have a minimum requirement.
Grief Counseling for Painful, Traumatic, or Unresolved Loss
Anticipatory Grief
Grieving something before it’s fully gone.
This can happen with illness, caregiving, or watching someone slowly change.
It often brings a mix of sadness, anxiety, and emotional exhaustion that’s hard to explain.
Traumatic Loss
Sudden, shocking, or violent loss can be overwhelming to process.
This includes experiences like suicide, pregnancy loss, accidents, or unexpected death, where your system hasn’t had time to make sense of what happened.
Trauma & Nervous System Overwhelm
When grief is layered with trauma (violence, sudden loss, medical crisis, or chronic stress) it can leave your system stuck in survival mode.
This often shows up as anxiety, emotional overwhelm, or feeling like you can’t fully relax, even when things are “okay.”
Complicated Grief
When grief doesn’t move in a clear or expected way.
You may feel stuck in loops of guilt, anger, or confusion, especially when the relationship involved addiction, mental illness, estrangement, or unresolved pain.
Betrayal & Relationship Loss
Grief after infidelity, divorce, broken trust, or emotionally complicated relationships can feel confusing and hard to name.
You may be grieving not just what happened, but what you thought the relationship was, or could have been.
This often comes with guilt, self-doubt, and constant mental replay.
Loss of Belonging
Grief doesn’t always come from death. It can come from rejection, abandonment, or losing your place in a family, relationship, or identity.
This often shows up as loneliness, identity shifts, or feeling disconnected from yourself or others.
How Grief Counseling Helps
This work isn’t about forcing closure or “moving on.”
It’s about understanding what’s actually happening, and shifting it in a way that feels real and lasting.
We slow things down
Instead of pushing through or overthinking, we start by noticing what’s happening in your thoughts, emotions, and body.
So you can understand:
Why your mind keeps looping
Why certain moments feel so charged
Why it’s hard to feel settled
We work through what feels unfinished
Grief often stays stuck when something didn’t get processed.
Things you didn’t say.
Things that didn’t make sense.
Moments that still replay.
We work through those so they stop looping and start settling.
We untangle guilt and responsibility
Grief, especially in complicated relationships, often comes with a lot of self-blame.
Together, we separate:
What was yours
What wasn’t
What you’re still carrying that you don’t need to
We support your nervous system
Grief doesn’t just live in your thoughts ~ it lives in your body.
That’s why you might feel on edge, shut down, or overwhelmed.
We work with that directly so you can feel more steady and less reactive.
Over time, you’ll notice:
Less replay and second-guessing
More clarity in decisions
The ability to set boundaries without guilt
Feeling more present and less braced for impact
This isn’t about becoming someone new.
It’s about feeling solid again. In your body, your relationships, and your decisions.
Hi, I’m Carly ~
I’m an grief therapist online who specialized in loss that feels unresolved or overwhelming. I’m also a person who has experienced a lot of personal loss, so when I say “I get it,” I really do.
Whether your loss is recent or something you’ve been carrying for years, therapy becomes a place to process it fully, not just make sense of it.
This Work Goes Deeper Than Talking
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Process the moments that still replay, the last conversation, the diagnosis, the goodbye. EMDR therapy helps grief settle instead of loop.
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Calm a nervous system stuck in survival mode after loss. Somatic therapy helps the exhaustion and numbness ease so you feel like yourself again.
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Help the part of you that's angry, the part that's relieved or feels guilty for moving on. Parts work helps you grieve with less distress and more clarity.
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Reach grief that words can't touch, the tightness in your chest, the knot in your throat. Brainspotting therapy helps your body finally release it.
Common Questions About Grief Counseling
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That’s exactly why people reach out.
Grief isn’t always straightforward. It can include guilt, anger, confusion, or feeling stuck, especially when the relationship or situation was complicated or something feels unresolved.
You don’t need to have it figured out before starting.
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Yes, numerous studies have demonstrated that online grief therapy, when conducted by a qualified therapist, is just as effective as traditional in-person sessions.
I use a secure video conferencing platform to create a safe and confidential space for your healing journey.
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Yes. I offer Grief Intensives on the shores of Lake Michigan in the summer.
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I specialize in supporting adults navigating a range of grief experiences, including:
Bereavement: Grief related to the loss of loved ones.
Traumatic Loss: Grief resulting from sudden or violent losses, such as suicide or accidents.
Complicated Grief: Prolonged or intense grief that interferes with daily life.
Betrayal Trauma: Grief from infidelity or broken trust.
Family Loss/Rejection: Grief related to estrangement or identity-based rejection.
Pet Loss: Grief related to the loss of a beloved animal.
Perinatal Loss: Grief related to miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant death.
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It's completely understandable that grief can feel overwhelming.
I am trained to notice and respond to the micro movements, expressions, and nonverbal cues of overwhelm. Grief is deeply painful and can at times feel too overwhelming. This is completely normal.
My goal is to help you build internal resources to feel like you can handle the many, sometimes unpredictable sharp edges that grief throws at us.
If (and honestly when) this happens during an online session, we embrace it and adapt. We can slow down, distract, take breaks, or focus on somatic grounding techniques. We will get familiar with the parts that are concerned with your loss and make sure they feel validated and cared for.
I'm here to support you wherever you’re at, and we'll work together to find what feels most comfortable.
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Yes.
While we do talk, this work also focuses on what’s happening underneath—emotionally and in your body.
That allows us to process what feels stuck, not just understand it.
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Yes.
Depending on your needs, we may use EMDR, parts work (IFS-informed), or somatic approaches to help process unresolved experiences and reduce emotional intensity.
You don’t need to know anything about these going in.
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You’re not alone.
My clients are capable, thoughtful, and used to holding things together—but internally feel overwhelmed, stuck, or exhausted.
Therapy helps create space to actually process what’s been pushed aside.
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Sessions are 50 minutes and held virtually.
We’ll move at a pace that feels manageable while still making meaningful progress.
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The first step is a consultation call.
This gives us a chance to talk through what’s going on and see if working together feels like a good fit.
Step 1:
Consultation
We start with a 15-minute phone call to talk openly about your loss and what you're hoping for. You don't need to have the words for it yet, or be "ready," this is a no-pressure way for us to see if it feels like the right fit.
Step 2:
First Session
In our first session, we'll slow things down and get a clear picture of your grief: the loss itself, the relationship behind it, and everything it's stirred up. There's no order you're supposed to tell it in.
Step 3:
Ongoing Work
From there, we'll work through what's unfinished. The things unsaid, moments that still replay, the guilt that isn't yours to carry. Over time, you'll feel more steady, present, and more like yourself.
You don’t have to keep carrying this alone.
Grief can feel isolating and hard to make sense of.
You don’t have to figure it out by yourself.
Grief counseling for adults in Virginia, Florida, Colorado and Texas.
