Jennifer Hrstic
Jennifer Hrstic
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NOW ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS | DIRECT BILLING | IN PERSON & ONLINE | EVENINGS & WEEKENDS AVAILABLE
When the world rushes by, but yours has stopped.
Grief can feel like a physical weight, a crushing pressure on your chest.
A knot in your stomach that won't loosen.
A persistent exhaustion that sleep doesn't fix.
When you live with grief, it can be a disorienting, lonely feeling of watching everyone else move while your own world has completely paused.
Our therapists understand how grief shows up in daily life. For you, maybe it's:
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walking into a room and forgetting why you are there,
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struggling to finish a simple email, or
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feeling like you are moving through a thick fog.
Grief doesn't follow a timeline or a straight line.
Whether your loss was yesterday or years ago, we offer a space where you don't have to pretend to be okay.
Your Guide to Grief Therapy
Jump to:
What is grief, really?
Grief is an instinctive, mind-body response to losing a deep attachment.
It is the intense work of relearning how to live in a world that has fundamentally changed.
When a significant bond is broken, our internal sense of safety and predictability is often shattered.
Your mind and body are working overtime to update their internal map to reflect this new reality.
This is why it feels so exhausting—you are rewiring your understanding of your life.
Rather than a list of stages you complete and leave behind, grief is more like waves.
Some days the water is a calm ripple; other days, the waves are towering and come crashing down without warning.
Therapy helps you learn to navigate these waters so you aren't pulled under.
Are you experiencing the fog of grief?
Grief is a whole-body experience that impacts your physical health, cognitive focus, and nervous system.
Physical Signs (Somatic):
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The Grief Stone: A heavy pressure or crushing sensation in your chest.
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Grief Fatigue: Deep exhaustion or weakness that sleep doesn't resolve.
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Digestive Issues: Nausea, loss of appetite, or a knot in your stomach.
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Air Hunger: Feeling like you can't take a deep breath.
Cognitive Signs (Grief Brain):
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Brain Fog: Difficulty focusing, finding words, or feeling spaced out.
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Memory Gaps: Forgetting tasks, appointments, or conversations.
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Time Loss: Feeling like hours or days are missing.
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Time Distortion: Feeling the loss happened yesterday and years ago.
Emotional & Behavioral Signs :
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Numbness: Feeling dissociated or like watching a movie of your life.
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Irritability: Feeling rage at people, the world, or the person who left.
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Avoidance: Staying away from places or people that remind you of loss.
These aren't signs of weakness. They are signs that your body and brain are working overtime to process a world that has changed.
What causes grief?
Grief is a natural response to losing anyone or anything that gave your life meaning, safety, or joy.
You may also be carrying a living loss—a pain that is invisible to the people around you.
We recognize and honor these silent griefs just as deeply as any other.
Your pain is valid, regardless of the source:
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Bereavement: Grieving the death of a parent, partner, child, friend, or family member.
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Divorce or Separation: The loss of the us and the future you planned.
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Infertility or Pregnancy Loss: Grieving a future that didn't happen.
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Chronic Illness: Grieving the loss of your former healthy self, mobility, or identity.
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Economic & Career Grief: Losing a job, business, or financial security is a major loss of identity and safety.
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Cultural Bereavement: The grief of leaving a home country, language, and community is a loss of your cultural landscape, even if immigration is a choice.
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Pet Loss: For many of us, pets are our daily companions and family. The silence in the house after they are gone can be deafening.
When is it time to consider therapy for grief?
There is no timeline for grief.
You might feel fine for three months, and then hit a wall at the six-month mark.
You don't need to be in crisis to seek support.
If you feel stuck and the intensity of the pain isn't shifting, or you feel unable to access any positive memories, therapy can help.
It might be a good time to seek support for grief if:
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You feel like a burden: You worry about bringing people down or feel like your friends have stopped asking how you are.
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Your grief is disenfranchised: You feel like you aren't allowed to grieve because it was a pet, an ex-partner, or a job.
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You are parenting while grieving: You are trying to hold it together, and you need a space where you don't have to.
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You are grieving a living relation: The loss of a family bond due to setting boundaries or estrangement is complex.
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Your daily functioning is impaired: Grief brain is threatening your ability to work, parent, or drive safely.
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Your physical pain is intense: You might worry something is medically wrong with you because of how physical the pain is.
You do not need to wait until you are at your breaking point to find a safe place to land.
How can therapy help you navigate a loss?
We don't aim for closure—a word that often implies closing the door on a relationship.
At Therapy Alberta, we aim for integration.
A good therapist will honor your story and sit with you through the darkness and confusion.
We help you learn to carry the loss in a way that doesn't prevent you from living.
What if you could...
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Tell your stories without worrying about protecting your family's feelings.
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Understand why you feel so exhausted and learn somatic tools to tend to your body.
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Move from letting go to carrying forward—finding ways to keep relationships with your loved ones.
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Create meaningful rituals to honor your loss in a way that feels right for you.
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Handle the firsts (birthdays, holidays, anniversaries) with a plan and a support system.
Therapy can help you distinguish between grief (your internal feelings) and mourning (your external expression), helping you find ways to move that internal pain out of your body.
What therapy approaches work best for grief?
We use methods that go beyond just talking, helping you process loss on an emotional and physical level.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT): Making Room for Grief You might spend a lot of energy trying to avoid pain. ACT helps you learn to make room for it as a natural response to loss. We focus on what matters most to you and help you take small steps toward a meaningful life.
EMDR Therapy: Processing Traumatic Grief
If a loss was sudden, traumatic, or involved a difficult hospital experience, those memories can get frozen in the brain. EMDR helps your brain clear these traumatic images, so you can remember instead of relive.
Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS): Grieving Parts
You might have a part that uses denial to protect you from pain, and a part that holds anger to protect your boundaries. In IFS, we welcome all these parts and help them communicate so you don't feel so internally conflicted.
Somatic Therapy: Releasing the Weight
Grief is often stuck in the nervous system as a collapse or freeze response. Somatic Therapy helps you notice where grief lives in your body and uses gentle techniques to move the tension so you can breathe deeply again.
Our therapists are trained in multiple approaches so we can build a plan as unique as you are.
If you are looking for a specific modality, visit our Approaches to Therapy page to see what our therapists offer.
What happens in grief therapy?
Healing comes in waves, not straight lines.
We know that starting therapy when you are heartbroken takes immense courage.
We move at your pace.
Here's what you can expect in grief therapy:
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The Container: We don't talk about the whole traumatic story on day one. In the first sessions, we focus on building a safe relationship where you don't have to mask or pretend. We'll look at how you are sleeping, eating, and coping right now.
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The Processing: Some days we might process deep emotions; other days we might just focus on practical strategies for getting through the work week. We might use art, writing, or somatic tools to access feelings that words can't reach.
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The Integration: We work toward a place where you can feel joy again without guilt. We help you build a new normal where the loss is a part of you, but not the only part of you.
Whether you join us in-person in Calgary or online across Alberta, our goal is always the same: to create a space where you feel safe enough to heal.
Meet our featured Grief Therapists
Our team includes therapists who specialize in the nuances of grief, from cultural bereavement to somatic processing.
CERTIFIED CANADIAN COUNSELLOR
I provide a warm, safe haven for navigating the heavy, complex feelings of grief and trauma. I honor your unique journey and use EMDR and Somatic Therapy to help you process the losses that feel overwhelming or stuck in your body, including historical and systemic grief.
Online & In-Person
REGISTERED PSYCHOLOGIST
I help you understand how grief impacts your whole system—mind, body, and spirit. If you are navigating grief brain alongside ADHD or anxiety, I offer a holistic approach using EMDR and IFS Therapy to help you regulate your nervous system and find clarity.
Exclusively Online
REGISTERED SOCIAL
WORKER
I offer a gentle, culturally responsive space to process loss, including the silent grief of cultural bereavement, identity shifts, and intergenerational trauma. I use ACT and Somatic Awareness when you feel disconnected from your roots or your community.
Exclusively Online
Why does life in Alberta feel extra hard right now?
Where we live affects how we grieve.
Our therapists understand the specific pressures of the Alberta context:
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The Hustle Culture: Calgary has a high-performance, get back to work culture. The expectation to bounce back quickly after a loss can be suffocating. We validate the need to slow down in a fast-paced city.
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Economic Grief: In Alberta, our sense of security is often tied to the oil and gas sector. The grief of layoffs, financial instability, and the boom/bust cycle creates a background hum of anxiety. Losing a job here often feels like losing an identity.
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Seasonal Factors: Grieving in the winter can be physically isolating. The long dark months can exacerbate grief brain and depression. We help you build strategies to cope when the weather keeps you inside.
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Collective & Ecological Grief: From the devastation of wildfires to ongoing environmental changes, Albertans face significant collective loss. We hold space for the anxiety and grief related to our changing landscape.
We face these pressures too, and we can help you navigate loss through them.
You don't have to carry the weight of loss alone.
Grief is a heavy thing we all carry.
You might think you need to be strong for everyone else, but this is a space where you can set that burden down.
Whether the loss was yesterday or twenty years ago, your feelings are valid.
Let us help you find your footing again.
The next step is simple. You can book a free, 15-minute consultation to meet a therapist and see if it feels like a good fit.
No pressure, no commitment, just a conversation.
Our therapists offer daytime, evening, and weekend appointments to fit your lifestyle.
Common Questions About Grief Therapy
Is there a right way to grieve?
No. The stages of grief are just a theory, not a rulebook. Your grief might look like crying, or it might look like numbness, anger, or busyness. We validate your unique process and timeline.
What is the difference between grief and depression?
Grief typically comes in waves and maintains a connection to the lost person or object. Depression is often constant and involves a sense of disconnection or apathy. However, they can overlap. Therapy helps distinguish them and treat them appropriately.
What if I'm experiencing anticipatory grief?
Grieving before a death occurs—like with a terminal diagnosis or dementia—is a very real and painful experience known as anticipatory grief. Therapy can help you navigate the long goodbye and manage the complex mix of hope, dread, and exhaustion.
Can you help with pet loss?
Yes. The bond with a pet is often one of the most unconditional relationships we have. Losing them is a profound, valid loss. We offer a safe space to grieve your companion without fear of judgment.
Is grief therapy covered by insurance?
Yes, sessions with our Registered Psychologists, Social Workers, and Canadian Certified Counsellors are typically covered by most employer benefit plans (e.g., Blue Cross, Manulife, SunLife). Check our Insurance for Therapy in Alberta page for details.
Do you offer online grief therapy?
Yes, we offer secure video therapy to anyone in Alberta. Online therapy is convenient and effective for grief, especially if leaving the house or driving feels overwhelming right now. It allows you to do the work from the safety and comfort of your own space, and sometimes the distance makes it a little easier to connect.
If you have more questions about therapy or the process, visit our FAQ page or contact us.
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