Grief Counseling in Oakland, CA

We don’t heal from grief; we heal through it.

If we allow it, grief becomes more than a response to loss—it becomes a teacher. It moves through our bodies, our dreams, our relationships, and our identity, asking us to slow down and pay attention.

Whether you’re mourning a loved one, facing a major life transition, or grieving the life you thought you’d have, loss invites deep reflection, surrender, and—sometimes—transformation.

I’m Sara, a depth-oriented psychotherapist in Oakland, CA. I offer grief counseling for individuals navigating all kinds of loss—tangible or symbolic, expected or sudden, named or not yet understood.

Our work together honors your psyche’s natural movement toward healing—not by rushing through pain, but by making space for it to unfold in its own time and form.

Grief Therapy: Making Space for the Ache

Grief isn’t a problem to fix or a task to complete. It’s a living, breathing experience that touches every part of who we are—emotional, physical, spiritual, and relational.

Some days you might feel deep sorrow, then a brief sense of peace, only to find the ache returning unexpectedly.

In depth psychotherapy, we approach grief as a liminal space—a sacred threshold between what was and what is becoming. There’s no need to explain it all or push toward closure. It’s about learning how to be with what’s true—gently, honestly, slowly.

Grief is not linear. It spirals. It loops. It startles us.

You might find yourself flooded with memories or shaken by unexpected emotions. You might laugh one moment and cry the next. You might feel numb for days, only to suddenly be overcome with longing or rage.

This is grief.

Bereavement Counseling: Naming the Many Faces of Grief

Society tends to reserve grief for death. But grief shows up in countless forms:

• The end of a relationship

• A medical diagnosis

• The loss of a beloved pet

• Career burnout or retirement

• A dream that didn’t come true

• Estrangement

• Spiritual disillusionment

• The ache of what was never said or experienced

Bereavement counseling can support those who are mourning the death of someone close. But it’s also for those experiencing disenfranchised grief—losses that aren’t always recognized, named, or validated.

Grief can be quiet and complex. You may not even realize you’re grieving. Therapy offers a place to sort through those feelings and find language for what has been lost.

Counseling for Grief and Loss: What to Expect

If you’ve never worked with a therapist before, you might wonder:

• Is my grief too much?

• What if I can’t stop crying?

• What if I feel nothing at all?

• Will therapy make me feel worse?

These fears are normal. Grief can be disorienting and overwhelming—and talking about it can feel vulnerable.

In our work together, there’s no pressure to perform or “process” a certain way. You get to bring your whole self, exactly as you are—messy, numb, raging, quiet, weeping, wondering. All of it belongs.

As a depth psychotherapist, I don’t approach therapy as symptom management. I meet you on a soul level. We’ll work together to understand the layers of your grief and to gently explore what it’s asking of you.

Depth therapy tends to move slowly and respectfully. We might work with dreams, somatic sensations, or images. We might explore your spiritual beliefs, your childhood losses, or your sense of meaning and identity.

This isn’t about fixing you. It’s about walking with you—steadily, soulfully—through the terrain of grief, wherever it leads.

There’s No Timeline for Grief (And That’s Okay)

Grief doesn’t move on a schedule. There’s no “done” point, no final stage.

It stays with you—but over time, it often softens. It becomes something you carry, not something that overwhelms or defines you.

In therapy, grief is honored as a form of metamorphosis. It can call you into a deeper relationship with yourself. It can strip away what no longer serves and reveal what really matters.

It may ask you to feel what you’ve never allowed yourself to feel before.

And through that, something essential can return—your aliveness, your intuition, your capacity to love again.

Grief Counseling for Caregivers and Healthcare Professionals

If you’re in a caregiving role—personally or professionally—you may carry grief in complicated, unspoken ways.

You might be grieving the patients you’ve lost, the suffering you’ve witnessed, or the burnout that’s taken a toll on your body and spirit. You might mourn the version of yourself that used to feel hopeful, energized, or connected.

As a therapist who works with healthcare professionals, therapists, and caretakers, I understand the unique emotional weight you carry.

Your grief may not be obvious, even to you. It might look like numbness. Emotional exhaustion. Detachment. Or a quiet ache that doesn’t quite make sense.

You might feel like you’ve lost access to your inner life—to rest, to awe, to joy.

Grief therapy can help you reconnect with those parts. In depth work, we make space for the invisible griefs—the ones that don’t have clear names, the ones that live in your body and soul.

If you’re a caregiver in need of care, you’re not weak or selfish. You’re human. And you’re allowed to grieve.

Normalizing Grief in a Grief-Avoidant Culture

We live in a culture that wants us to “move on,” “stay strong,” or “get back to normal.” But real grief doesn’t fit into tidy categories or timetables.

You may feel isolated in your pain. You may wonder if you’re grieving the “right way.” You may even feel shame for still feeling sad—or for not feeling sad enough.

Therapy offers a countercultural space where all of your grief is welcome—where there is no right or wrong way to mourn, to rage, to long, or to remember.

Honoring What Was, While Embracing What Is

Counseling for grief and loss helps you integrate what’s happened into the story of your life—not as a scar to hide, but as something sacred to carry forward.

You can learn to live alongside your sorrow, and in doing so, discover a deeper capacity for meaning, connection, and presence.

Life may never look the same, but that doesn’t mean it can’t hold joy again.

Grief as a Portal to Aliveness

To grieve fully is to open your heart to life again.

Grief has the power to reshape you—not into someone “better,” but into someone more honest. More whole.

Together, we’ll honor your pain, your love, and your capacity to heal—at your own pace, in your own way.

Forms of grief I can help with:

• The death of a loved one (or anticipating their death)

• A life-altering health diagnosis

• The loss of a beloved pet

• Divorce or separation

• Burnout or caregiver fatigue

• A major disappointment or disillusionment

• Loss of identity, purpose, or spiritual belonging

• Relocation or climate grief

• Childhood trauma

Ready to begin?

I offer grief counseling in Oakland and throughout California via secure video sessions. If this resonates, I’d be honored to walk with you.

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