Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, & TMS Therapy for Grief and Loss

Psychotherapy is typically the first line of treatment for grief-related mental health concerns. We employ a range of psychotherapy approaches to help you navigate your grief and find a path forward. Our therapists carefully select the most effective techniques based on your individual experience and any accompanying mental health challenges you may be facing, including: 

• Psychoeducation: psychoeducation helps you understand the complex nature of grief. We’ll guide you through the various stages of the grieving process and help you recognize how grief affects you emotionally and physically. This knowledge empowers you to understand and manage your grief, providing a solid foundation for healing. 

• CBT: CBT for grief helps you identify and challenge unhelpful thought patterns that may intensify your grief. Along with your therapist, you’ll develop practical coping strategies to manage intense emotions and set realistic goals for moving forward while honoring your loss. CBT equips you with the necessary skills to navigate the undulating emotions of grief more effectively. 

• Family systems: Grief often impacts entire families, and this approach examines how family dynamics influence the grieving process. You will work on creating a more supportive environment for healing by fostering open communication and mutual support among family members. This collective approach can be crucial for both individual and family healing. 
• Coping Skills and Anger Management Tools: These practical tools will help you manage grief triggers and overwhelming emotions. We’ll focus on building resilience for long-term healing, giving you the resources to cope with grief as it evolves.

Grief itself is not a medical condition requiring medication, but the intense emotions and stress associated with loss can sometimes trigger or exacerbate underlying mental health issues. In these cases, medication management can be an effective component of a comprehensive grief treatment plan. Our experienced psychiatrists carefully evaluate everyone’s needs and may recommend medications to address specific symptoms or conditions. Here are some classes of psychiatric medications commonly used in the treatment of grief:  

• Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): SSRIs prescribed for a brief period (6-9 months) can help alleviate symptoms of depression that often accompany grief and can soften the grieving process. These medications can help stabilize mood, improve sleep, and restore appetite, allowing individuals to engage more fully in their grief work and daily activities.  

• Sleep Aids: Grief often disrupts sleep patterns, significantly impacting overall well-being. Sleep aids, including sedative hypnotics or certain antidepressants with sedating properties, may be prescribed to help establish healthy sleep patterns. Improved sleep can enhance emotional resilience and cognitive functioning during the grieving process. 

TMS, FDA-approved for treating major depressive disorder, offers significant benefits for those experiencing grief-related mental health challenges. This non-invasive therapy can alleviate symptoms of persistent depression and anxiety that often accompany grief, improving overall mood and facilitating more effective grief processing. TMS has also shown promise in addressing “grief brain,” enhancing cognitive functions like attention, memory, and executive functioning. Additionally, it may help regulate sleep patterns and manage chronic pain, both commonly disrupted during intense grief periods. 

If you’re looking for a more focused program to help you through grief and loss, we can work with you to determine if our partner programs at Clear Behavioral Health are a good fit. Clear Behavioral Health is managed by the same experienced mental health clinicians as Neuro Wellness Spa. It provides residential programs and in-person and virtual outpatient (PHP and IOP) programs for grief.