author: Tali Beesley, IGC, EWC, MLS

There are many types of grief therapy, and no single approach works for everyone. The most widely used include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Complicated Grief Treatment (CGT), EMDR, and somatic or body-based therapy. The best fit depends on your grief, your history, and how you tend to process emotion.

Deciding to seek grief therapy is a significant step—and then you discover there's an alphabet soup of approaches to navigate, and no clear guide for which one might actually help. CBT, ACT, EMDR, CGT, somatic… it can feel overwhelming at a moment when your emotional reserves are already stretched thin.

This guide is here to help. It doesn't advocate for one approach over another—because grief is deeply personal, and the therapy that helps you most will depend on who you are, how you grieve, and what you need most right now. Think of it as a gentle orientation, not a prescription.

Do I Need Grief Therapy?

Grief is a natural response to loss, and not everyone needs formal therapy to move through it. Many people are supported by friends, family, community, or self-guided tools like journaling and ritual. But there are times when grief becomes something that is genuinely hard to carry alone.

It might be worth considering therapy if:

  • Your grief feels stuck or frozen, even many months after the loss
  • You're experiencing significant difficulty functioning at work, in relationships, or in daily life
  • You're dealing with grief that others don't validate or understand
  • You have a history of trauma, depression, or anxiety that is being activated by the loss
  • You're experiencing thoughts of self-harm or that life isn't worth living

If grief feels persistent and debilitating, it's also worth reading about complicated grief—a recognised condition that responds particularly well to targeted therapeutic intervention.

What Are the Main Types of Grief Therapy?

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Grief

CBT is one of the most researched psychological therapies in the world. In the context of grief, it focuses on the relationship between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. If you find yourself caught in patterns of thinking—repeated self-blame, catastrophising, or beliefs that you will never feel better—CBT can help you identify and gently challenge those patterns.

CBT for grief is typically structured and time-limited, often delivered over 8–20 sessions. It can be particularly helpful for people who tend to process things intellectually and who find that their thinking is getting in the way of feeling.

Research supports CBT as an effective intervention for grief-related depression and anxiety. It is widely available through private therapists and, in some countries, through public mental health services.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT takes a different approach to painful thoughts and emotions: rather than trying to change or challenge them, it focuses on accepting them as part of the human experience and committing to living in alignment with your values even in the presence of pain.

In grief, ACT can be particularly helpful for people who are struggling with resistance to the loss—the "this shouldn't have happened" quality that can keep grief feeling raw and unresolvable. ACT doesn't ask you to be okay with the loss; it asks you to be present with it, and to keep living meaningfully alongside it.

Many therapists draw on ACT principles within an integrative approach, rather than practising it as a standalone model.

Complicated Grief Treatment (CGT)

CGT, also known as Prolonged Grief Disorder treatment, was developed specifically for people experiencing what is now clinically recognised as complicated grief—grief that remains intensely disruptive well beyond what most people experience, typically beyond six months to a year.

CGT combines elements of cognitive therapy and exposure-based work, helping people gradually approach the loss—including the most painful aspects of it—in a supported way. It has strong clinical evidence behind it and is considered the gold-standard treatment for prolonged grief disorder.

If you suspect your grief has crossed into complicated grief territory, seeking a therapist specifically trained in CGT is worth pursuing. Not all grief therapists are trained in this model.

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing)

EMDR was originally developed for trauma, but has increasingly been applied to grief—particularly where the loss involved traumatic elements: a sudden or violent death, witnessing the loss, or a death that coincided with other traumatic events.

EMDR uses bilateral stimulation—typically guided eye movements—to help the brain process difficult memories and reduce their emotional charge. It can help grief feel less like an open wound and more like a scar: still present, but no longer as raw.

EMDR is most appropriate when grief is intertwined with trauma. If your loss was sudden, unexpected, or involved traumatic circumstances, it may be particularly worth exploring.

Somatic and Body-Based Therapies

Grief is not only an emotional experience—it lives in the body. Somatic therapies, including Somatic Experiencing and sensorimotor psychotherapy, work directly with the physical sensations of grief: the tightness in the chest, the heaviness in the limbs, the way certain memories feel in the body.

These approaches can be particularly helpful for people who find talk therapy frustrating, who have difficulty accessing or naming their emotions verbally, or whose grief has a strong physical component.

Somatic therapy is often offered alongside another primary modality rather than as a standalone approach. Movement-based practices like yoga therapy and dance-movement therapy draw on similar principles.

Person-Centred and Integrative Counselling

Many grief counsellors work in an integrative or person-centred way—drawing on multiple approaches depending on what the client brings, rather than following a single therapeutic model. Person-centred therapy in particular offers something that can be deeply valuable in grief: a non-judgmental, empathic relationship in which you feel heard and understood.

For many people, the quality of the therapeutic relationship matters more than the specific modality. If you feel genuinely seen and supported by your therapist, that itself is therapeutic.

Group Therapy

Grief group therapy—facilitated by a trained therapist rather than peer-led—offers the benefits of professional support alongside the particular comfort of being with others who understand. It can reduce the isolation that often accompanies grief and offer perspectives from people at different stages of the same journey. For peer-led options, our guide to finding a grief support group may also be helpful.

How to Choose the Right Grief Therapy for You

There is no single best therapy for grief. Research consistently shows that the therapeutic relationship—how much you trust and feel comfortable with your therapist—is one of the strongest predictors of outcome, across all modalities.

That said, here are some gentle questions to guide your thinking:

  • Do you tend to process things intellectually, through understanding? → CBT or ACT may suit you well.
  • Is your grief accompanied by trauma, or was the death sudden and shocking? → EMDR or trauma-informed therapy may be worth exploring.
  • Is your grief feeling stuck or prolonged, many months on? → Ask about Complicated Grief Treatment specifically.
  • Do you find it hard to put feelings into words, or do you feel grief in your body? → Consider somatic approaches.
  • Are you primarily looking for a safe space to talk and be heard? → Person-centred counselling may be a good starting point.

It's also worth knowing that it's okay to try more than one approach, or to change therapists if the relationship doesn't feel right. This is not failure—it's advocating for yourself.

What to Look for in a Grief Therapist

When searching for a grief therapist, look for:

  • Specific experience with grief and bereavement, not just general counselling
  • Recognised training and accreditation (in the US: LCSW, LPC, PhD, PsyD with grief specialisation; in the UK: BACP or UKCP accreditation)
  • Willingness to explain their approach and answer questions before you commit
  • A sense of genuine warmth and non-judgment in an initial consultation

Many therapists offer a free 15–20 minute consultation. Use it to get a feel for the person, not just the model.

Frequently Asked Questions

What type of therapy is best for grief? There is no single best type—it depends on the nature of your grief, your history, and how you tend to process emotion. CBT and ACT are well-evidenced for grief-related depression and anxiety. CGT is the recommended approach for complicated or prolonged grief. EMDR is particularly helpful when grief is intertwined with trauma. The quality of the therapeutic relationship is often more important than the specific modality.

Is CBT effective for grief? Yes—CBT is one of the most researched approaches for grief-related depression and anxiety, and has good clinical evidence. It is particularly helpful for people whose thinking patterns are getting in the way of processing their loss. However, it may not suit everyone, and other modalities can be equally or more effective depending on the individual.

What is complicated grief therapy? Complicated Grief Treatment (CGT), sometimes called Prolonged Grief Disorder treatment, is a targeted therapeutic approach developed specifically for people whose grief is intensely disruptive well beyond the typical timeframe. It combines cognitive and exposure-based techniques and has strong clinical evidence. Not all grief therapists are trained in CGT, so it is worth asking specifically.

How long does grief therapy take? This varies widely depending on the modality, the nature of the grief, and the individual. Brief, structured approaches like CBT may be delivered in 8–16 sessions. Open-ended, person-centred therapy may continue for much longer. Many people find that grief therapy doesn't follow a linear path—progress can feel slow, and then something shifts.

Can I do grief therapy online? Yes. Online grief therapy has strong evidence behind it and offers accessibility that in-person therapy cannot always match. Many therapists moved to online delivery during the pandemic and have continued, finding it equally effective for most clients. It may be particularly helpful if local options are limited, if you have mobility challenges, or if you simply find it easier to open up from your own space.

Whatever form your grief takes, support exists. You might also find it helpful to explore our guide to what complicated grief is, or to read more about the stages of grief and whether they're real. You don't have to navigate this alone.