Therapy for grief in Gig Harbor
I am a licensed therapist and grief specialist in Gig Harbor, WA. With over a decade of practice supporting clients experiencing grief, loss and trauma, I offer my clients the support needed to understanding their unique grief, process traumatic loss, build coping and resiliency while also learning to live forward meaningfully with grief.
grief counseling for the painful losses in life
While grief is a universal, human experience we are never prepared for how it will show up in our lives. When you have experienced the death of an important person in your life, it can feel as if the world has been turned upside down. It feels like the world is continuing on outside the windows while inside it feels like the world has paused, shattered.
I’m looking for grief and trauma counseling near me.
If you’re in Washington State and seeking a highly experienced grief therapist, you’re in the right spot. I offer in-person grief counseling in Gig Harbor, both in a traditional therapy cadence and extended, intensive sessions or packages. Therapy intensives for grief are a powerful way to carve out the time you need to receive support for this season of your life. I schedule therapy intensives for 90 minutes to 3 hours, helping you to carve out this important time in a focused and intentional way. I have immediate availability to schedule Grief Therapy Intensives & Extended Sessions. Learn more about intensive support for grief here.
Not in Washington but looking for grief support as you navigate grief and motherhood, learn more about grief coaching program, Living Forward.
therapy for grief in Gig Harbor, WA
Your grief is as unique as your fingerprint. You need grief support that truly “gets” it and help you understand and navigate your grief.
Over many years I have had the privilege of working with a diverse range of clients, including individuals, couples, and families, as they navigate the profound and often challenging journey of loss.
My approach is informed by a comprehensive background that includes significant time spent in hospital and pediatric & adult hospice settings. I have in-depth experience supporting those navigating anticipatory grief, anticipated losses and sudden or traumatic losses.
My range of experiences working with those experiencing grief equips me with a nuanced understanding of the emotional, psychological, and practical aspects of grief and loss, allowing me to tailor my support to meet the specific needs of each individual or family I work with.
Therapy for grief does not mean something is “wrong with you”—grief is a human experience we all encounter. Grief counseling allows you safe space to process the loss, build understanding of your unique grief experience, uncover the coping strategies that work best for you, all while learning how to honor your grief and loss in meaningful ways.
therapy for miscarriage, stillbirth, infant and child loss
Many losses go unrecognized and your grief can feel forgotten—and this can feel especially true when navigating the loss of a pregnancy, infant or when someone is struggling with infertility.
As a perinatal mental health therapist and grief specialist, I bring specialized training and experience supporting women and families who have walked this painful road. Women work with me for many reasons including my specialized training and experience working with women navigating perinatal loss, stillbirth, miscarriage, infertility, TFMR and child loss.
During our time working together you might explore any number of topics. Frequently women who see me for grief counseling following pregnancy or child loss explore topics related to processing your loss(es), learning about your unique grief experience and what coping strategies support you best, determining what boundaries you need to set to support your healing, navigate thoughts of subsequent pregnancies, feelings of guilt of “moving on”, learning meaningful ways to honor this loss, and more.
Listen in: Podcast Interviews
Still Hopeful: Learning how to Live Forward with Grief with Jen Reisinger, Grief Coach & Licensed Therapist
Grief is the New Normal: Meeting in the Messy Middle with Jen Reisinger, LMHC
Grief is the New Normal: Grief Changes, So Do We: Navigating Loss Through Life’s Seasons
I’ve had the privilege of working with Jen Reisinger for over 13 years, beginning with our time together at hospice and continuing through various grief-focused collaborations over the years. Most recently, we co-led community grief education events through The Mourning Movement, where her passion, depth of knowledge, and ability to create safe, meaningful spaces truly shined.
Facilitating grief groups alongside Jen is both grounding and inspiring. She brings a deep fluency in grief work—able to normalize complex emotions, connect with participants in an authentic way, and hold space with both warmth and professionalism. Her creativity and genuineness make her a powerful presence in any room, and her care for the grieving process is palpable.
Jen is not only a trusted colleague but also a strong and needed voice in the grief field. I highly recommend working with her. Anyone navigating loss would be fortunate to have Jen walking beside them.
Dr. Heather Taylor, PsyD, Grief is the New Normal Psychological Services
Your grief matters and deserves to take up space.
FAQs about grief counseling and grief therapy
If you’re looking for compassionate grief therapy in Gig Harbor, Washington, or anywhere in WA State, you’re in the right place. Below are some common questions people have about grief counseling and how it can help.
How does grief counseling help?
Grief therapy is a type of counseling designed to support those who have experienced a loss. This loss may be due to death or a non-death loss. During periods of grief we experience intense emotions, major life changes and overwhelm. Grief therapy provides a space to process your feelings, learn coping tools and find ways of connecting to your loved one in loss. Grief counseling helps you to understand your unique grief response to this specific loss (which may feel very different than other losses you’ve experienced). You don’t have to go it alone.
How is grief therapy different from regular therapy?
When you are experiencing grief it is important that therapist you work with have specific expertise and experience in grief and loss. Grief counseling focuses on the deep emotional, physical, relational and spiritual challenges that come with loss and it is not something we are working to “get over” or “move on” from. I utilize grief-specific and trauma-informed care to support my clients through the many ways grief can impact your life.
What types of grief do you work with?
My experience of grief therapy ranges across all types of loss. With extensive history in hospital, hospice, and outpatient settings, I’ve worked with those grieving many types of loss, including those that are expected and those that are sudden or traumatic.
Loss during pregnancy (miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, infertility, stillbirth)
Infant and child loss
Loss of a partner, spouse
Loss of a parent (including parents with strained relationships)
Loss of sibling
Disenfranchised grief (grief isn’t acknowledged readily by society, including early pregnancy loss, friendship, complicated family dynamics)
Ongoing losses like major cognitive decline, Alzheimer’s, chronic illness
No loss is too “small” or “long ago” to matter.
Do you offer grief therapy in Gig Harbor, WA?
Yes! I offer in-person grief counseling in Gig Harbor and the surrounding areas like Tacoma, University Place, Port Orchard, Olympia and other local areas. My grief therapy practice in Gig Harbor is located within a warm, comfortable setting designed to help you feel safe and supported. I also offer virtual grief counseling across Washington State for those who prefer the comfort of their home.
Do you offer therapy for miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss?
Yes, I do. Postpartum grief (grief after miscarriage, stillbirth or infant loss) is very real and overwhelming. I am a perinatal mental health therapist with additional training to support postpartum women with the unique dynamics of these types of losses. In grief therapy we honor your emotional grief and the physical postpartum recover process you’re experiencing. You deserve support for your whole self: mind, body and heart.
Do you short-term or intensive grief therapy options?
This is an important area of my practice and I’m pleased to be able to offer this powerful type of support. I offer grief therapy intensives—deep, focused approach designed to jumpstart your healing process and help you be able to imagine what life might look like as you move forward with this grief. Intensives are designed to support you with your grief over a shorter timeframe and are especially helpful if you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed or needing a supportive reset.
Therapy to chart your course towards what life looks like as you navigate painful grief.
Grief counseling involves understanding and exploring your grief, enabling you to feel supported, build coping strategies and begin to determine what your life looks like after loss. Therapy for grief can empower you to learn ways to live with grief in authentic and meaningful ways while recognizing the painful circumstances of loss.
