Grief Counseling for Loss & Bereavement

You know grief is a natural response to loss, but you might not have expected to be grieving for so long. Grief Counseling can help.

Grieving a deep loss? Getting pressured to move on with your life? Feel like no one understands or wants to listen to your sorrow?

You don’t have to face this alone. I’m here to walk with you.

If you’ve found your way to this page, it likely means your world has been turned upside down. Maybe you wake up each morning and for a moment, everything feels normal—until the weight of your loss crashes down again. Maybe nights are the hardest, when the quiet becomes unbearable and memories flood your mind. Or perhaps everything feels numb, distant, unreal.

Grief doesn’t just break your heart—it can dismantle your entire sense of self. The person you used to be may feel unreachable. The things that once gave you comfort or purpose now feel hollow. And all the while, the world moves around you, as if nothing has changed.

But everything has changed for you.

Whether you’ve lost a spouse, a child, a parent, a friend, or someone whose bond with you defies labels—your pain is real. It doesn’t need to be minimized or explained away.

Every loss will impact us on some level, from mild to debilitating.

There is no “right” or wrong way to grieve. Whether your loss was sudden or anticipated, acknowledging the reality of it can take weeks or months or longer.

Grief Feels Like It Will Swallow You Whole

If you’ve experienced a traumatic loss such as suicide, accident, or murder, it’s common for grief to be even more complicated, intense, and prolonged.

It can be incredibly challenging to try to make sense of your loss while coping with turbulent emotions. When you are grieving, it’s not just sadness. It’s fear. It’s rage. It’s longing. It’s the ache of unfinished conversations, the pain of birthdays and anniversaries that no longer feel whole. You may feel like your life has splintered into a before and after, and you don’t know how to exist in this “after.”

You may feel abandoned. Disconnected. Like no one truly understands what you’ve lost.

Sometimes, grief shows up in your body—tight chest, aching fatigue, sleepless nights. Sometimes, it hijacks your mind, racing thoughts, intrusive memories, or the inability to concentrate or care about daily tasks. You may feel like you’re watching life from a distance, unable to rejoin it.

Others might urge you to “stay strong,” to “look at the bright side,” or ask when you’ll “get back to normal.” But when your world has shattered, those words can feel cruel, even well-intentioned.

The Devastation of Deep Loss

Some losses feel like the ground has opened beneath you. The death of a child, a partner, or someone you leaned on daily can feel like a physical amputation. The future you imagined is gone. The routines you relied on are shattered. Simple things—like meals, holidays, or watching a show—can feel excruciating.

Grief can also rupture your sense of safety. If the loss was sudden, traumatic, or violent, your nervous system might remain on high alert, waiting for the next terrible thing. Or you may feel paralyzed—unable to move, speak, or connect.

You might question your purpose. You might wonder why you survived when they didn’t. You may feel ashamed for laughing or for not crying. You might feel like you’re letting others down—or letting yourself down.

All of these responses are normal. None of them makes you weak or wrong.

Grief often brings with it profound loneliness, even when others surround you. It’s hard to explain the depths of what you’ve lost. You might be grieving as a person, but also the version of yourself that existed when they were alive—the version that felt whole, hopeful, safe.

Together, we will honor that devastation. We will not rush to repair what cannot be undone. But we will begin to gather the broken pieces with care.

What you may need is a grief specialist who isn’t trying to rush you past or talk you out of it. Someone who gets that grief is not a problem to be solved—it is a wound to be tended to with tenderness and care.

I help survivors of Traumatic Loss endure, survive, and learn to live again. With time, space, and support, it is possible to learn to live again, not despite your grief, but with it.

Grieving is a process of learning how to live in a changed world. When someone you love has died or a relationship has ended, you are challenged to relearn how to be with yourself, your family, and friends.” Grief therapy can help you integrate your grief in a way that honors your loved one and finds meaning from your loss.

Grief counseling provides a refuge from the pressure to be okay. You don’t need to show up with answers. You don’t have to explain or justify your grief. I will help you hold on to memories of the life of your loved one, build coping skills to face a changed personal landscape, and find hope and meaning after your loss.

Whether your loss happened recently or many years ago, whether your grief is loud or quiet, sharp or dull, you don’t have to carry it by yourself. We go at your pace, honoring your needs.

It’s not about “fixing” you. It’s about creating a space to speak your truth, release the weight, and imagine your version of healing.

You don’t have to be strong. You don’t have to have it figured out. I can help you find your way.

Let’s Begin. When You’re Ready

The pain that brought you here deserves care.

I invite you to take the first step and reach out.

There is no timeline for healing. But there is support.

If you’re having difficulty coping and managing painful feelings, I will help you find your way.

Barbara Fane, LCSW, BCD
(732) 741-1333

23 White Street, Shrewsbury, New Jersey.