Seeing a Specialist in Grief Counseling: Why It Matters

[Reviewed and updated April 4, 2026]

A reader writes: I’ve been suffering from depression for a long time and am under the care of a psychiatrist. I went to see my doctor for the first time since my father died and was a complete wreck since I had to re-tell what happened. I was crying because it's hard to talk about Dad's sudden downfall and last day, but my psychiatrist seemed to think that I was being overly emotional. I tried to tell him that I'm not upset every day and that I didn't think that my sadness less than five months after Dad's death was abnormal. I did confess to doing some stupid things immediately after he passed and how hard some things have been, but I walked out of his office feeling like I should be over it. 

Caregiving, Hospice & Grief, April 5 - April 11, 2020

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

As a culture, we’ve never been great at handling grief . . . And now that families no longer have the opportunity to say goodbye to their loved ones, have to wait for hospitals to release the remains, and postpone any in-person gatherings for the foreseeable future, it has left many in a suspended state of grief. Processing Grief During a Pandemic, When Nothing Is Normal « Yahoo!

Understanding and Managing Grief, January 12 - January 18, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

The Irony and Inconsistency of Grief, http://j.mp/1hBhmeS « Journeys Through Grief Newsletter Blog

Offering kindness through the breath: finding some ease in grief, http://j.mp/19CygJG « Refuge in Grief

"Mindfulness and Grief: The Transformative Power of Now" has been accepted for ADEC Annual Conference! bit.ly/adec2014 « Mindfulness and Grief

New Moderator Joins Grief Healing Discussion Groups

I am delighted to announce the appointment of Mary Friedel-Hunt, MA, LCSW to assist me in administering and moderating our online Grief Healing Discussion Groups, beginning this week. Many have come to know Mary through her loving presence on our site these last three years, ever since she came to us as a new member following the death of her beloved husband Bill on March 27, 2010. As a skilled and accomplished psychotherapist intimately familiar with the challenges of care giving, loss, grief and transition, Mary is uniquely qualified to serve in this capacity, and I am thrilled that she is willing to take on this new role, as henceforth she is officially designated as a Counselor and Administrator on our Discussion Groups site. Please join me in welcoming Mary to her new position.

Below, Mary shares her thoughts:

Understanding and Managing Grief, April 21 - April 27, 2013

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

National Victims of Crime Week to increase understanding of Homicide Grief, http://bit.ly/11sVLul « Aftermath of Murder Survivor Stories

Powerful post on Lessons Learned: 6, http://j.mp/14YKyJV « Widow's Voice

Is it Harder to Mourn an Actual Loss or Loss of an Ideal You Never Had? http://j.mp/163b2cf « GoodTherapy.org

Hundreds of death, grief, thanatology experts gather at ADEC conference this week, http://huff.to/15YN2XK « Huffington Post

Book Review: “Closer Than You Think” discusses After-Death Communication, http://j.mp/11ZgXZi « SevenPonds Blog

Seeing a Specialist in Grief Counseling: Does It Matter?

Find the latest version of this post here:

Seeing A Specialist in Grief Counseling: Why It Matters

A reader writes: I’ve been suffering from depression for a long time and am under the care of a psychiatrist. I went to see my doctor for the first time since my father died and was a complete wreck since I had to re-tell what happened. I was crying because it's hard to talk about Dad's sudden downfall and last day, but my psychiatrist seemed to think that I was being overly emotional. I tried to tell him that I'm not upset every day and that I didn't think that my sadness less than five months after Dad's death was abnormal. I did confess to doing some stupid things immediately after he passed and how hard some things have been, but I walked out of his office feeling like I should be over it. Read on here >>>

Professional Certification Programs in Grief and Bereavement

[Reviewed and updated June 1, 2025]

A license authorizes a person to practice in a particular specialty in healthcare. Certification through a national board affirms advanced knowledge, skill, and practice to meet the challenges of that specialty, and it contributes to better patient outcomes. Certification is a voluntary process, and is sought by those who care enough to earn and maintain the highest credentials in their specialty, thereby demonstrating a commitment to excellence in practice. Certification requires coursework, experience in the field, successful completion of a standardized exam, and ongoing continuing education and professional development. (Note that certification differs from programs offering only a certificate upon completion of course work, in that certificate programs do not offer standardized testing of knowledge and do not require ongoing continuing education.) ~ Marty Tousley

Understanding and Managing Grief, November 27 - December 3, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Infant Loss: Healing Through the Anniversaries, http://bit.ly/rIn8zK by @KristineBrite

• Fear of Loss from Grieving Dads Project, http://j.mp/tGrC87 

• Tips for riding waves of grief when parenting a child with special needs this Christmas, http://bit.ly/sOAutC by @jolenephilo

• Ashley Davis Bush: 6 Ways to Get a Handle on Holiday Stress, http://j.mp/vnexPX

• December Newsletter, http://j.mp/sq33v9  from @OpenToHope

Coping with Pet Loss, November 27 - December 3, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Comforting video by New England Pet Hospice: Hold On Love, http://j.mp/uZBt5R

• Coping with Pet loss: Pet Burial, Goldfish to Horse, http://j.mp/vkn9eW

• Pet Peace of Mind (PPOM): Intervening Before It's Too Late, http://j.mp/u40Pm5 

• Handling The Holidays When You're Feeling Blue about Pet Loss, http://j.mp/taqxx5

• Yay! ADEC lists resources for Coping With Pet Loss, http://bit.ly/shd82o

Understanding and Managing Grief, November 6 - November 12, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Handling Grief through the Holiday Season, The Compassionate Friends Webinar on Thursday, November 17, 8-9 pm EST; register at http://t.co/ffKp0Uap

• Coping with The Holidays: extensive list of articles, books, ideas, http://bit.ly/3jkKKh

• Write On! The Storybooks for Healing (SFH) Community is Open, http://conta.cc/ukBZY0 via @StoryForHealing

• What is patience and where can I buy some? http://bit.ly/uAQOIX via @caregiverblog

• What Else I Learned about Myself from Delle Chatman, http://bit.ly/uguYMn by @friendgrief

• Brilliant! Using photography as a way to fill the void in grief, http://bit.ly/vc7Egm 

• Therese Rando on Interventions after Traumatic Death, bit.ly/w500Ph ADEC webinar on Wednesday, November 16 by @ADECnews 

• Coping: I Miss You So SO Much! http://bit.ly/rM92xG by @Esdeer 

• Perinatal loss: the truth about grief, http://bit.ly/vibFXw

• Suicide is hard to comprehend for those left behind, ithacajr.nl/uh83lw

• Dealing with a deceased loved one's personal belongings, http://tinyurl.com/7vmqo99 via @caracappa 

• What I Learned about Myself from Delle Chatman, http://bit.ly/rGmjli via @friendgrief

• "The Surviving Parent's Role" in grief, http://ow.ly/7i4BL via @HelloGrief 

• Ain't No Sunshine: Men Reveal the Pain of Heartbreak, http://bit.ly/oeligm via @KindleSurprise

Understanding and Managing Grief, July 17 - July 23, 2011

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Coping with Anxiety in Grief | Open to Hope Foundation, http://bit.ly/qxnuN1 

• Flower essences to use when healing from #grief: http://t.co/jv6t1yj via @ChelseaHanson

• Important! Explaining daddy's suicide to children, http://bit.ly/o2guig

• Grief After Suicide: An Interview With Dr. Jack Jordan, psych.ly/oDzSW7 via @psychcentral

• Heartache To Healing's grief poetry contest; click link here for details, http://bit.ly/kOjkVl by @JoanneFunch