Grief Counseling in Denver

Grief Counseling Can Help With Many Kinds of Loss

There is no single type of loss that brings someone to grief therapy.

You may be grieving:

• The death of a spouse, partner, parent, child, family member, or friend

• A sudden or unexpected death

• A death by suicide

• An overdose or substance-related death

• An anticipated death or the declining health of someone you love

• The death of a pet or the anticipated loss of a pet

• Multiple losses that have accumulated over time

• A loss that happened months or years ago but still feels present

• A relationship, friendship, career, identity, sense of health, or future you expected to have

Some losses are readily recognized by others. Others can leave you wondering whether you are even "allowed" to grieve as deeply as you do.

Whatever brought you here, your grief does not have to fit neatly into someone else's definition of what loss should look like.

What Grief Can Feel Like

Grief affects far more than our emotions. It can change how we think, how our bodies feel, how we relate to other people, and how we experience everyday life.

You might notice:

Emotionally: sadness, anger, guilt, anxiety, relief, numbness, yearning, irritability, or emotions that seem to change without warning.

Physically: exhaustion, changes in sleep or appetite, muscle tension, restlessness, heaviness, or feeling physically depleted.

Cognitively: forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, indecision, racing thoughts, or the mental fog sometimes described as "grief brain."

Socially: feeling disconnected from people you once felt close to, withdrawing from others, becoming frustrated when people don't understand, or feeling lonely even when you're surrounded by people.

Grief can also come in waves. You might have a day when life feels almost normal, followed by a day when the loss suddenly feels incredibly close again.

That doesn't mean you're moving backward or grieving incorrectly. Grief rarely follows a straight line.

Specialized Experience in Grief and Loss

Grief isn't simply one of many issues I work with. It has been a central focus of my clinical and professional career.

Before opening Vargas Counseling and Consulting, I created and led Philly HEALs at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office, a comprehensive bereavement-support program for people grieving substance-related deaths. Through that work and the years since, I have supported thousands of bereaved individuals and families and developed particular expertise in complex, traumatic, and stigmatized grief.

My work in the grief field has also included training clinicians and peer supporters, developing grief-support programs, presenting nationally on grief and bereavement, and contributing to research and education about grief as a public health issue. Today, alongside my private practice, I teach graduate social work students at University of Denver and continue to work nationally to strengthen grief support in communities and organizations as Director of Outreach Programs for Peer Support Community Partners.

These experiences have reinforced something I believe deeply: grief is profoundly personal.

Your relationship, your culture, the circumstances of the loss, the support available to you, and everything that came before the loss all shape how grief is experienced. Therapy should make room for that complexity rather than asking you to follow a predetermined timeline.

Support for Complex and Stigmatized Grief

Some losses carry additional layers that can make grief especially isolating.

I have specialized experience supporting people grieving suicide loss and overdose or substance-related deaths, as well as sudden, traumatic, complicated, and stigmatized losses.

These experiences can bring questions that feel impossible to answer. You may replay what happened, wonder whether you could have done something differently, feel anger alongside love, or struggle with guilt that persists even when part of you knows the loss was not yours to prevent.

You may also encounter people who don't know what to say—or who make assumptions about your loved one or the circumstances of their death.

Therapy can provide a place where you don't have to edit the story or protect someone else from the difficult parts of your grief.

Learn more about therapy after suicide loss

Learn more about grief after overdose or substance-related loss

How Grief Therapy Can Help

There isn't a formula for grief counseling because there isn't a formula for grieving.

Our work will depend on your loss, your relationship with the person or life you are grieving, what feels most difficult right now, and what you hope therapy can offer.

Together, we may:

• Create space to tell the story of your loss without worrying about burdening someone else

• Make sense of guilt, regret, anger, relief, or unanswered questions

• Explore how grief is affecting your body, concentration, relationships, work, and daily life

• Identify ways to cope with grief triggers, anniversaries, holidays, and unexpected reminders

• Navigate changes in identity, roles, relationships, or your sense of the future

• Explore ways to maintain a meaningful connection with someone who died

• Work with anxiety, numbness, avoidance, or emotional overwhelm

• Make meaning without minimizing what happened

• Gradually reconnect with the people, experiences, and parts of life that still matter to you

Sometimes therapy involves talking directly about the loss. Sometimes it involves understanding what has happened to the rest of your life because of it.

Both belong in grief therapy.

My Approach to Grief Counseling

My approach is warm, collaborative, and individualized. You won't be expected to follow a particular set of "stages," and I won't ask you to move toward acceptance on someone else's timeline.

My work draws from grief-specific and evidence-informed approaches, including Complicated Grief Therapy, meaning-making approaches, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), narrative approaches, mindfulness, and cognitive-behavioral strategies.

But therapy isn't about applying a collection of techniques to your grief.

It's about understanding you; the person you lost, what they meant to you, what has changed, what you're carrying now, and what you need as you learn to live alongside that loss.

There is no timeline for grief here.

What to Expect in Grief Counseling

You don't need to prepare for grief therapy or know exactly what you want to talk about before you arrive.

Some sessions may focus heavily on the person or experience you're grieving. Others might focus on a relationship that's changed, a difficult anniversary approaching, trouble sleeping, anxiety about the future, or something seemingly ordinary that suddenly brought your grief to the surface.

Some sessions may feel emotional. Others may be reflective, practical, quiet, or even include moments of humor.

All of that is okay.

My role is to meet you where you are and help you understand and navigate what you're experiencing without treating your grief as something that needs to be fixed.

In-Person Grief Counseling in Denver & Online Grief Therapy

I offer in-person grief counseling in Denver from my office at:

1780 S. Bellaire Street, Suite 600
Denver, CO 80222

My office is conveniently located near I-25 and Colorado Boulevard and is accessible from Cherry Creek, Washington Park, Greenwood Village, University Hills, and surrounding Denver neighborhoods.

I also offer online grief therapy throughout Colorado and Pennsylvania, so you can choose the format that feels most accessible and supportive.

I work primarily with adults and teenagers, and offer both 50- and 80-minute sessions.

I am in-network with select insurance plans, including UnitedHealthcare and Kaiser. Private-pay and out-of-network options may also be available depending on your plan.

If you're unsure whether I accept your insurance or whether we'd be a good fit, a free 15-minute consultation is an easy place to start.

Frequently Asked Questions About Grief Counseling

How do I know if I need grief counseling?

You don't have to reach a particular level of distress before you're "allowed" to seek therapy.

Some people come to grief counseling because they're struggling to function after a recent loss. Others are functioning well in many areas of life but want somewhere they can talk honestly about their grief. You might seek support because you're feeling stuck, isolated, overwhelmed, anxious, guilty, numb, or simply tired of carrying your grief alone.

If your loss is affecting your daily life or you feel like additional support could help, grief counseling may be worth exploring.

How soon after a loss should I start grief therapy?

There is no required waiting period.

Some people want support immediately after a loss, while others aren't ready for therapy until months or even years later. Neither approach is more correct.

Therapy can meet you wherever you are in the grieving process.

Can grief counseling help if my loss happened years ago?

Yes.

Grief doesn't expire simply because time has passed. An older loss can become more present during anniversaries, major life transitions, new relationships, becoming a parent, experiencing another loss, or for reasons that aren't immediately obvious.

You can seek grief counseling regardless of how long ago your loss occurred.

What happens during grief counseling?

There isn't a predetermined curriculum.

We might talk about the person you lost, what happened, what you miss, difficult emotions, changes in your relationships, fears about the future, or how grief is affecting everyday life.

The work evolves based on what you need rather than requiring you to grieve in a particular way.

Do you provide counseling for losses other than death?

Yes. Grief can follow many significant changes that don't involve a death.

I work with people navigating non-death losses including the end of relationships, changes in health or ability, career changes, shifts in identity, relocation, estrangement, and grief for a life or future that didn't unfold as expected.

Learn more about therapy for non-death losses

Learn more about therapy for life transitions

Do you offer online grief counseling?

Yes. I provide online therapy to clients located throughout Colorado and Pennsylvania, in addition to in-person appointments at my Denver office.

Resources for Understanding Grief

Sometimes understanding what is happening can make grief feel a little less disorienting. You may also find these resources helpful:

Why Grief Feels Physical: Understanding the Physical Symptoms of Grief

Grief affects the nervous system and body as well as our emotions. Learn why exhaustion, sleep changes, tension, pain, and other physical experiences can accompany loss.

Understanding Grief Brain

Learn why grief can affect memory, concentration, decision-making, and your ability to think clearly.

Why Grief Isn't Linear

Explore why grief can feel manageable one day and overwhelming the next, and why that doesn't mean you're moving backward.

Start Grief Counseling in Denver

You don't need to know exactly what you need from therapy before reaching out.

A free 15-minute consultation gives us a chance to talk briefly about what brings you to therapy, answer questions about working together, and determine whether I may be a good fit for the support you're looking for.

I offer in-person grief counseling in Denver near I-25 and Colorado Boulevard and online grief therapy throughout Colorado and Pennsylvania.

Schedule a Free 15-Minute Consultation

There is room here for your grief, however it looks and however long you've been carrying it.