Grief Is Grief: What Happens When the Therapist Is Grieving?

Our featured course this month – “Grief and Growth: Supporting Therapists in Times of Loss”

As mental health professionals, we learn to hold space for grief. We sit beside sorrow, loss, and uncertainty every day. But what happens when the loss is our own? What happens when a client dies—or when we’re navigating deep personal grief while continuing to show up for others?

The truth is: we don’t talk about this enough. Therapist grief is real, and yet most of us have never been taught how to handle it. That’s why “Grief and Growth: Supporting Therapists in Times of Loss” is our featured course this month. It’s the kind of training I wish I had much earlier in my career.

When a Client Dies

Several years ago, I had a 9:00 AM Zoom session scheduled with a client I deeply cared about. It was unlike him to be late. I waited. A few minutes later, the program director called me. I didn’t want to answer—I was still waiting for him. When I finally picked up, she told me something I will never forget: the night before, my client was hit by a car and killed.

I was still sitting on Zoom and waiting for him when the shock hit me. I started sobbing uncontrollably, still in front of my computer. I quickly signed off, overwhelmed by grief. And then—just 45 minutes later—I had to start another session. This time with a fragile client who needed me. My eyes were red, my nose stuffy, and my heart unbearably heavy. I compartmentalized, like we all do. Like we were taught to do.

But grief doesn’t work that way.

The Unspoken Weight We Carry

Therapists experience all forms of grief: the loss of clients, family members, friends, pregnancies, marriages, jobs, health, and dreams. And yet, our training rarely addresses what to do with our own pain. We're expected to hold others' grief while quietly shelving our own.

Many of us have stories like the one I shared. We wipe our tears, ground ourselves, and go back to work—because that’s what we’ve always done. But grief unacknowledged is still grief. It lives in the body, shapes our presence, and if ignored, can lead to compassion fatigue, burnout, or worse.

It’s time we do better—for ourselves and for one another.

Top Course Pick: “Grief and Growth” – A Continuing Education Training for Therapists

This course was created by Kelly Daugherty, LCSW-R, FT, a therapist and fellow grief professional who brings both clinical expertise and heartfelt compassion to this work. “Grief and Growth: Supporting Therapists in Times of Loss” is a transformative 2.75-hour CE training specifically designed for therapists navigating personal grief, client death, or the emotional toll of loss. Our intention was to fill the gap and offer practical tools to navigate our own grief. 

In this course, you’ll:

• Reflect on your own experiences with grief

• Develop resilience through grounding and self-compassion practices

• Understand the professional and emotional impact of a client’s death

• Navigate the ethical complexities of grief in clinical work

• Identify support systems for grief-processing in therapists

• Explore transference and countertransference in grief therapy

• Conclude with a powerful closing ritual to integrate the learning

This is a recorded video training, so you can engage at your own pace. A handout is included to support your ongoing reflection.

Let’s Normalize Therapist Grief

Grief is grief. When a therapist experiences loss, they deserve care, support, and reflection—just like anyone else. Continuing education should not only prepare us to support others, but also honor the deeply human aspects of our work.

My hope is that this course starts more conversations in supervision, among colleagues, and within ourselves. Let’s stop pretending that we can keep our pain in a separate drawer. Let’s acknowledge that showing up for others while grieving is one of the most courageous things we do.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve ever lost a client… if you’re grieving someone you love… or if you’re simply holding a lot right now—you are not alone. This training is a place to pause, reflect, and receive something back. 

This blog is dedicated to all my clients—past and present—who have shaped me, challenged me, and reminded me of the sacredness of this work.

Join us. Share this. Or simply take a breath. We’re in this together.

Learn more about the class: https://erenadigonis.ce-go.com/courses/grief-and-growth-supporting-therapists-in-times-of-loss