Grief therapy intensives in Tacoma, Gig Harbor and across Washington

Extended therapy services to help you navigate grief, trauma and the major changes that come with painful loss.

Intensives for grief provide safe, healing space to begin to process and understand your unique grief.

You will walk away from your intensive experience feeling that you can carry your grief forward while also having the tools you need to navigate the painful realities of living with loss.

Grief has a way of knocking us right off our feet and reorienting to the world that doesn’t make sense anymore can feel impossible.

A therapy intensive for grief is an extended therapy session or package of sessions designed for your unique situation. With unhurried time, we begin the work of beginning to process your loss, learn about your grief and explore way to navigate this grief in ways that work for you and honor your grief.

As a grief specialist, I often work with clients on a traditional 45-minute cadence which can be helpful for ongoing processing and support in navigating living with loss. With fresh loss or grief that feels unseen by others, often I recommend considering a therapy intensive. Grief intensives allow you a peaceful, safe space to dive deeper in a focused way—which can be incredibly supportive when navigating early and complex grief experiences.

Common topics addressed in a therapy intensive for grief

Common topics addressed in a therapy intensive for grief:

Telling the story of your person and your loss
Processing traumatic or sudden loss
Processing anticipatory loss and grief
Exploring how your grief is showing up (emotional, physical, cognitive, social, behavioral, spiritual)
Learning ways we can move through grief (emphasizing your unique path versus a prescriptive “stage” theory)
Unpacking grief within families
Planning for holidays, grief anniversaries and other major or milestone dates
Ways to keep connected with your loved one in your grief
Processing grief of what could have or should have been
Disenfranchised grief: grief not recognized by others in your community
Building a coping toolbox

A therapy intensive is an extended therapy session designed to meet the needs of your grief experience. In this modern approach to therapy you experience an opportunity to engage in therapy over the course of several hours and/or days.
These extended sessions allow for unhurried time to receive in-depth support grounded in your current needs, goals and circumstances. Often clients who engage in intensives find they are able to move into their healing and towards their goals at an accelerated pace.
Intensives offer you the ability to set the pacing for your work in a way that is unique for your needs, not based on what can be accomplished in a 50 minute session (which actually is simply an arbitrary number of minutes designated by medical insurance companies).
You may be drawn to the format of a therapy intensive due to feeling so overwhelmed by your grief experience or due to schedule constraints (unpredictable work schedules, childcare considerations, etc) that make traditional 50-minute weekly sessions challenging.
Or maybe you are already in therapy and notice that 45 minutes is not enough time to dive into what brings you to therapy or that you lose traction between sessions.
Therapy Intensives also can offer you much needed support right now, helping you step into creating what healing may begin to look like. Distraction-free, focused time in a therapy intensive provides your brain, body and spirit the room to dive deep in safe, supportive ways.
Some of the clients I've worked with prefer to schedule extended sessions as part of a self-care commitment, building a day or two of healing practices around their intensive.
Imagine a supportive, contained space to begin to explore, process and learn about your grief without any rush or pressure to do it in a particular way or with a specific timeframe. This is the beauty of a therapy intensive.
In traditional 45 minute models, clients spend 10-15 minutes orienting, catching up and wrapping up. This allows only 30 minutes or so to work on the core needs and grief processing.
Therapy intensives, on the other hand, can provide overall time and money savings by reducing the time in therapy and being able to address your goals more quickly. You have uninterrupted, focused time to dive deep into what brings you to therapy, build the skills and support you need for navigating this season, and leave feeling the like you can care better for your self as you step into living forward with this grief.
When engaging in an intensive, clients are often very focused on what brings them to the experience and find that their motivation towards their goals and healing is accelerated.
By choosing an intensive format, clients reduce or eliminate their regular weekly sessions, freeing up their time for living meaningful life.
Extended therapy sessions are a premium service in my practice, therefore I maintain current availability for scheduling therapy intensives within approximately.
Personalized intensive services in my practice are customized to your needs.
Typically intensive sessions range from a 90 minute intake session, a 3 hour intensive session (or two) and a debrief.
Depending on your clinical needs and desires, a unique plan or package can also be developed that suits you best. During a consultation call we can discuss what feels best for you and what I might recommend based on your initial goals.
I schedule intensives with clients during times that work best for them -- weekends or evenings included.
Because this is a premium service, it's important that the schedule truly works for you so that you can be fully present in your intensive experience. We will discuss all scheduling consideration during our consultation.
A therapy intensive is a premium service. This service is uniquely tailored to your needs and goals.
Fees are based upon the specific package and design, communicated ahead of time as required by the No Surprises Act.
Intensive services are $300-400/hour. Intensive packages start at $1500. Out of network reimbursement for a portion of the fee may be available through your insurance plan.
I provide free phone or Zoom consultations to discuss what therapy intensives, your goals and needs for a customized intensive package. Reach out to coordinate your consultation call.
During our free consultation call we will discuss ways to make your Therapy Intensive be a deep, meaningful experience.
When possible, I recommend considering in-person therapy intensives in order to fully protect your time from distractions and to be able to build a rejuvenating, relaxing and comforting experience surrounding your therapy intensive.
For those not local to Gig Harbor I am happy to provide local suggestions for lodging, dining as well as additional services (massage, Reiki, reflexology, yoga, etc) that might add to your plans.
Clients preferring to work in a virtual intensive format are also supported through secure telehealth platform (within the State of Washington).
Additionally, each client will receive a personalized workbook to help you prepare for the Intensive, between sessions (if applicable) and after.

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

Why grief counseling?

What is grief therapy, and how can it help?

Grief therapy provides a safe, structured space to process the impact of loss: emotionally, mentally, physically, and relationally. Instead of trying to “move on,” grief therapy allows you space to learn how to move forward with your grief in a way that feels authentic. In my Tacoma-based therapy practice, I provide traditional 45-minute therapy sessions as well as extended therapy intensives to support your unique grief needs. I used a variety of supports to help you understand your grief, care for yourself and take steps towards healing. I also utilize evidence-based approaches like EMDR and mindfulness. For parents who have experienced the loss of a child or pregnancy, I am also a trained perinatal mental health specialist, offering a deep wealth of knowledge to support this painful loss while you navigate overwhelming emotions, reduce anxiety, and rebuild a sense of stability and hope.

How do I know if I need grief counseling?

You might benefit from grief counseling if your loss feels too heavy to carry alone, if you feel stuck, or if everyday tasks feel harder than they used to. Many people reach out when they’re overwhelmed by intense emotions, struggling with sleep or concentration, navigating parenting while grieving, or noticing a dip in their relationships. If your grief is impacting your daily life, therapy can help you find clarity and relief.

The reality is that most people need support in grief. This support can come from friends, family and others that care for you. You may also have a strong sense of what you need in your grief experience and find coping supports that feel readily accessible. And even with all of that support, you still may find you want to layer in more support as an act of self care for you. Grief therapy can be just that.

What kinds of grief do you support?

I work with grieving moms and women navigating all types of loss, including:

Pregnancy and infant loss
Miscarriage
Stillbirth
Child loss
Loss of a partner, parent, sibling, or close friend
Anticipatory grief
Complicated or traumatic grief

You don’t need to justify your loss. If it matters to you, it matters in the therapy room.

Do you offer grief therapy in person in Tacoma, WA?

Yes. I offer in-person grief therapy in Gig Harbor, easily accessible for clients located in Tacoma, University Place, Fircrest, and South Puget Sound. My office is a private, calming space designed for deep emotional work. Clients who come from a further distance occasionally schedule Saturday therapy intensives to allow for a more unhurried therapy experience.

Do you provide online grief counseling for people in Washington?

Absolutely. If you live anywhere in Washington State (including Tacoma, Seattle, Olympia, and rural areas) I offer secure, convenient online grief counseling. Virtual therapy is just as effective and can feel especially supportive when navigating the demands of grief and for moms balancing parenting, work, and life.

What is EMDR, and how does it help with grief?

EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is a highly effective therapy approach for processing traumatic or overwhelming parts of grief. Distressing memories, medical trauma, birth trauma, or intrusive thoughts can be reasons to explore EMDR to help your brain reprocess those experiences, allowing them to feel less intense and more manageable. It can also support healing after miscarriage, difficult medical interventions or traumatic losses.

How do I get started with grief therapy in Tacoma, WA?

You can schedule a free consultation to talk through what you’re experiencing and explore whether we’re a good fit. Whether you prefer in-person sessions near Tacoma or online grief counseling anywhere in Washington, we’ll figure out the path that feels right for you.