
Grief Counselling Calgary: When Time Isn't Healing
You don't need to 'move on' to heal. Our grief therapy specialists help you carry love forward while learning to live with loss.
Is Loss Counselling Right for You?
Do you feel like you're "supposed to be over it by now" but the pain feels as fresh as ever?
Have friends and family moved on with their lives while you're still struggling to get through each day?
Do you swing between numbness and overwhelming waves of sadness, anger, or even guilt about your loss?
Are you afraid that healing means forgetting or somehow betraying the person you've lost?
Do certain dates, places, or memories ambush you with grief when you least expect it?
Do you find yourself wondering, "How do I build a life around this hole in my heart?”
If you're nodding yes to these questions, your grief is not too much, too long, or too complicated. It's simply asking for the support it deserves.
Professional grief counselling can help you honour your loss while gently learning to carry it, rather than being crushed by it.
What Sets Our Grief Counsellors Apart
Grief-Informed, Not Grief-Fixing
We don't treat your grief like a disorder to cure. Our therapists understand that grief is love with nowhere to go - we help you find healthy places for that love while rebuilding a life that holds space for your loss.
We Hold Space, Not Timelines
Your grief doesn't follow the "stages" or expire after a year. Our therapists understand that profound losses deserve profound time. We'll never rush you toward acceptance or suggest you should be "further along" by now.
Your Loved One Stays Welcome
Here, talking about them isn't "dwelling" - it's honouring. Our grief specialists invite stories, memories, and ongoing connection with who you've lost. We help you discover how love continues even when life doesn't.

Grief Support Calgary Trusts
“Helped me to grow as a professional and to be a better person.”
“The best therapist I have ever used.”
“Fantastic to work with.”
“Professional, reliable, compassionate.”
“Easy to speak to and non-judgmental.”
“I would refer a family member in a heartbeat!”
Meet Our Psychologists
Rod Mitchell, MC, MSc, Registered Psychologist
I'm Rod, founder of Emotions Therapy Calgary.
Too often, grieving people are told to "be strong" or "move forward" when what they really need is permission to fall apart safely. I founded this clinic to offer something different - grief support that respects your timeline, not society's expectations.
Our Calgary Psychologists understand that loss changes you. We don't rush you toward "acceptance" or pretend you'll "get over it." Whether you're navigating the death of someone irreplaceable, the end of a future you planned, or a loss that others don't understand, we see your grief as love in its purest form - deserving of respect, not repair.
Your grief deserves witness, not fixing. When you're ready for support that honours both your loss and your life, we're here.
Alexis (Alya) Serghanuk, MSc, Registered Provisional Psychologist
I'm Alya. When grief hijacks your entire life, I help you reclaim it - gently, without rushing.
My dual approach addresses the mental loops of "I should have..." and "What if..." through CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), while somatic techniques release what your body holds - that crushing chest pressure, bone-deep exhaustion, the physical ache of loss.
Some sessions we'll untangle guilty thoughts. Others we'll let your body finally release what it's been carrying. You lead, I follow. Because grief doesn't follow a schedule, and neither should healing.
Together, we'll build a life that makes room for both your loss and your future.
Yuchen Zhong, MC, Registered Provisional Psychologist
That moment keeps replaying - their last breath, the phone call, finding them. Traumatic loss can trap you in a loop that talk therapy can't always reach.
My specialty? Using EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) to help these frozen memories finally process and settle. I'm Yuchen, and I work with the losses that haunt you - sudden deaths, traumatic circumstances, images you can't unsee.
EMDR won't make you forget or love them less. It simply removes trauma's sharp edges while preserving precious connection. Think of it as keeping the love while releasing the torment - because you deserve to remember them with peace, not panic.
Your love story didn't end with their death. Let's help the next chapters be gentler.
AS FEATURED IN
Your Grief Therapy Journey With Us
1. Starting Where You Are
We begin counselling with no timeline, no judgment, no "shoulds." Here, you can ugly cry, rage at the unfairness, or sit in silence. We witness whatever needs witnessing. You don't need to be strong - just real.
2. Honoring Your Relationship
Together, we explore not just who you lost, but the dreams, roles, and future you lost too. We'll understand your relationship's complexity, including any unfinished business that makes grieving harder.
3. Tending to Trauma and Triggers
Using EMDR or somatic work, we help haunting memories soften while preserving precious ones. You'll learn to navigate anniversaries, birthdays, and random Tuesdays when grief ambushes you without drowning.
4. Building a Life Around Loss
This isn't "moving on" - it's expanding around grief. We help you dose your grief so it doesn't consume every moment, find ways to honour your loved one, and give yourself permission to experience joy without guilt.
5. Carrying Love Forward
As acute pain softens into sacred ache, we explore how to stay open to life while honouring what was. You'll discover that carrying grief and embracing life aren't opposites - they're what makes you beautifully human.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Absolutely not. Our grief counselling approach honours the ongoing nature of love and loss. We never push you to "move on" or "get over" your grief.
Instead, grief therapy helps you:
Learn to carry your loss rather than be crushed by it
Find ways to maintain connection with who you've lost
Build a meaningful life that includes your grief
Process complicated emotions without judgment
Our counsellors understand that some losses forever change you. The goal isn't to return to who you were before - it's to integrate this loss into your life story in a way that allows for both mourning and living.
Many clients find that therapy actually helps them feel closer to their loved one by creating space to honour the relationship. We believe healing means learning to hold both grief and joy, not choosing between them. Your love doesn't end with death - neither should your connection.
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There's no expiration date on grief. Despite what society suggests, profound losses don't follow a timeline. Whether it's been months or decades, your ongoing grief is valid.
Our grief therapists understand that:
Anniversary reactions and waves of sadness are normal, not pathological
Some losses require lifelong adjustment, not "recovery"
Grief can resurface during life transitions, even years later
Many people seek counselling years after their loss when they realize they need support - perhaps triggered by a new life event, another loss, or simply feeling stuck. This isn't "delayed grief" or failure to cope - it's the natural rhythm of mourning.
We specialize in helping people who've been told they should be "over it by now." Your timeline is the right timeline. Whether this loss happened last month or last decade, if it's affecting your life today, you deserve compassionate support.
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Every loss deserves recognition and support. Our grief counsellors work with all types of bereavement, understanding that grief isn't reserved for certain "acceptable" losses.
We provide specialized services for:
Death of loved ones (including children, parents, partners, siblings)
Pet loss - your companion's death is real grief
Pregnancy and infant loss
Suicide and traumatic deaths
Disenfranchised grief - losses others don't recognize
Anticipatory grief during terminal illness
What matters isn't the type of loss but what it meant to you. We've seen how a pet's death can devastate someone whose dog was their only family. We understand that losing a difficult parent can be surprisingly complex.
Our therapists never compare or minimize losses. Your grief is valid because your love was real. We provide the same compassionate, professional counselling regardless of who or what you're mourning.
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Grief is rarely just sadness. Feeling relief after a long illness, anger at being abandoned, or even moments of happiness can create tremendous guilt. These "unacceptable" emotions are actually completely normal parts of bereavement.
Our grief services provide space for:
Relief after caregiving ends or suffering stops
Anger at the deceased, God, or medical professionals
Guilt about what you did or didn't do
Complicated feelings about difficult relationships
Even moments of joy or laughter
Many clients worry these feelings mean they're "grieving wrong" or didn't love enough. In reality, complex emotions show the depth and authenticity of your relationship. Love isn't simple - neither is loss.
Our counsellors specialize in complicated grief where feelings don't fit the expected mold. We help you process all emotions without judgment, understanding that healing includes acknowledging the full truth of your loss and relationship.
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Sudden losses leave us with agonizing unfinished business. Whether through accident, suicide, or unexpected death, not saying goodbye can haunt your grief journey.
Our grief counselling helps with:
Creating meaningful closure through letters, rituals, or empty chair work
Processing regrets about last conversations or missed opportunities
Working through trauma of sudden loss using EMDR
Finding ways to say what needs saying, even now
Many clients torment themselves with "If only I had..." thoughts. Our grief counsellors understand that the lack of goodbye doesn't mean lack of love. We help you express the unexpressed and find peace with what couldn't be said.
Sometimes therapy involves writing that letter, visiting meaningful places, or creating new resources and connections. While we can't change the past, we can help you find closure and continue the conversation in ways that honour both your love and your loss.
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This is a valid fear - and why our approach is different. We don't believe in forcing you to relive pain or "dig deeper" when you're already drowning.
Our grief therapy approach includes:
Starting with stabilization, not story-telling
Teaching coping tools before processing pain
Using body-based methods when talking feels too much
Going at your pace - you control the depth and timing
Sometimes counselling means sitting in silence. Other times it's learning to dose your grief so you're not overwhelmed. We can work with grief indirectly through art, movement, or EMDR - methods that process loss without retraumatization.
Many clients find that with proper support, sharing their story actually reduces pain over time. But we never push. Your counsellor will help you approach grief in manageable pieces, ensuring you leave sessions feeling supported, not shattered. Healing happens gently here.
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Numbness is grief too. Not everyone mourns with tears - some people feel nothing at all, then worry they're "broken" or didn't love enough. This emotional shutoff is actually your psyche protecting you from overwhelming loss.
Common "wrong" ways people grieve include:
Feeling disconnected or unreal
Going through motions without feeling
Inability to cry even when wanting to
Alternating between numb and overwhelming emotion
Our grief counsellors understand that numbness often signals profound loss, not absence of caring. Sometimes tears come months or years later. Sometimes they never come, and that's okay too.
We don't push for certain emotions. Instead, we help you reconnect safely with whatever you're experiencing - or not experiencing. Some clients need help feeling less, others need help feeling more. We work with your natural grieving style, not against it. All grief expressions are valid, including the absence of expression.
Your loss deserves witness.
Start with a free consultation. No pressure to 'move on,' just space to be heard."