What grief can feel like
Grief is not only sadness. It can touch your body, your sleep, your relationships, and the way you see the future. People often tell us:
- I keep waiting to feel normal again, and it has been months.
- Waves of sadness hit out of nowhere, in the grocery store or at work.
- I feel guilty, angry, or relieved, and I do not know if that is okay.
- Everyone else seems to have moved on, so I stopped talking about it.
- I cannot sleep, cannot focus, and feel exhausted all the time.
- I am grieving someone who is still alive, or a loss no one else sees.
All of these are common human responses to loss. Grief is not a problem to be fixed. It is a reflection of how much something mattered. Therapy can help you carry it in a way that feels a little more bearable.
Losses we can help you with
Grief therapy is shaped around your loss and your story. Bereavement counselling is one part of it, and people also reach out for:
The death of a loved one
A parent, partner, child, friend, or family member, whether the death was sudden or followed a long illness.
Pregnancy and infant loss
Miscarriage, stillbirth, and other losses that are often grieved quietly and alone.
Anticipatory grief
Grieving while someone you love is still living, such as during a terminal diagnosis or dementia.
Complicated or traumatic loss
Deaths by suicide, overdose, accident, or violence, which can bring shock and trauma along with grief. Our trauma therapy page explains how we approach this gently.
Loss of a pet
The death of a companion animal can be a real and deep loss, and it deserves space too.
Non-death losses
Divorce, the end of a relationship, immigration and leaving home, losing a job, or a change in health. Our couples counselling page covers relationship endings shared by two people.
When grief stays very heavy for a long time, it can overlap with low mood. If you are noticing signs like hopelessness or losing interest in everything, our depression therapy page may also be helpful. If worry and panic have crept in since your loss, see our anxiety therapy page.
How grief therapy can help
There is no single path through grief, and well-known ideas like the five stages are not a checklist. In sessions, your therapist may help you tell the story of your loss at your own pace, notice and name feelings that are hard to say out loud, and find small ways to care for your body and routines again.
Depending on what fits you, we may draw on compassion-focused work, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), CBT-informed tools for sleep and rumination, and meaning-making conversations about how to stay connected to the person you lost. We tailor the approach to you. We cannot promise how or when grief will change, but we can promise to walk alongside you with care and honesty.
For a clear, trustworthy overview of grief, see the grief and loss resources from the Canadian Virtual Hospice.
How online grief counselling in Ontario works
- 1
Free 15-minute consult
A short video call to share a little about your loss, ask questions, and see if it feels like a good fit. No pressure to decide anything.
- 2
Your first session
Join by secure video from home, your car, or any private space in Ontario. You set the pace, and you can share as much or as little as you want.
- 3
A rhythm that fits
Many people start weekly or every two weeks, then space sessions out. Sessions are 50 minutes, with 75-minute extended sessions available.
Online grief counselling can be especially helpful when leaving the house feels like too much, or when you are juggling work, family, and estate tasks. Curious about the research? Read is virtual therapy as effective as in-person. We see clients online across Ontario only, by secure video.
Meet your grief counsellors
Agustina Jorquera, Ed.D., M.Ed., RP
Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO) · English & Spanish
Agustina works with adolescents, adults, couples, and families. She offers a compassionate, collaborative space to make sense of loss, including grief that affects a whole family or a relationship. She holds a doctorate (Ed.D.) and a master's degree (M.Ed.) in counselling psychology and psychotherapy from the University of Toronto, and brings approximately 10 years of clinical experience in hospital programs and private practice. She offers sessions in English and Spanish.
Maria J. Chuburu, BA, MA, RP
Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO) · English & Spanish
Maria offers grief counselling to adults, with a gentle, steady presence for people navigating bereavement, cultural adjustment, and life transitions. Maria works with adults and draws on CBT, DBT, ACT, mindfulness, and psychodynamic and attachment-based perspectives. She offers sessions in English and Spanish, and brings a warm, culturally aware approach to clients across Ontario.
Terapia en español
El duelo a veces se siente más natural en su propio idioma. Ofrecemos acompañamiento en el duelo en español, en línea en todo Ontario. Conozca más sobre nuestra terapia en español.
Fees and insurance receipts
- Individual session (50 minutes): $185
- Extended session (75 minutes): $270
- Initial video consult (15 minutes): free
Sessions are $185 for 50 minutes or $270 for 75 minutes, and the 15-minute consult is free. We provide receipts you can submit to your extended health plan. Many plans cover services by Registered Psychotherapists, but coverage varies, so please check your plan before you begin. We do not direct bill insurance companies. Full details are on our fees and insurance page, and our article on whether counselling is covered by insurance in Ontario explains what to ask your provider.
A note on safety
If you are in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 9-8-8 for the Suicide Crisis Helpline, call 911, or go to your nearest emergency department. Buena Vita Therapy is not an emergency crisis service, and online sessions are not a substitute for urgent care.
Frequently Asked Questions About Grief Counselling
Helpful reading
- Is counselling covered by insurance in Ontario?
- Is virtual therapy as effective as in-person?
- Depression vs burnout: how to tell the difference
External resources: MyGrief.ca from the Canadian Virtual Hospice · Bereaved Families of Ontario · Verify any therapist's registration with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)