Grief Therapy in Waterloo and Throughout Ontario
There's no right way to grieve, and you don't have to do it alone.
Losing someone or something important to you can change the way you experience the world. You might miss someone so deeply that everyday life feels different, struggle to make sense of what happened, or find yourself moving between sadness, anger, guilt, and moments when you feel completely numb. Some days might feel manageable, while others catch you off guard in ways you weren't expecting.
Grief isn't limited to the death of a loved one, either. We can grieve relationships, changes in health, lost opportunities, major life transitions, or the future we thought we would have. Whatever your grief looks like, your feelings deserve space and understanding.
At New Moon Counselling (NMC), we offer grief counselling for children, teens, and adults. Our therapists provide a compassionate space where you can talk about your loss, explore the emotions that come with it, and find ways to navigate life as it looks now. You don't need to know what to say, have your feelings figured out, or be ready to move forward. You can simply come as you are.
We offer in-person counselling in Waterloo and virtual therapy throughout Ontario.
Grief can show up in ways you might expect and in ways that surprise you. You may feel deeply sad one moment and completely distracted the next. You might find yourself functioning on the outside while feeling very different on the inside. There's no single way grief is supposed to feel, and your experience may change over time.
You might find yourself:
Missing someone or something so much that it feels difficult to focus on anything else.
Feeling sad, angry, guilty, confused, or emotionally numb.
Finding that reminders, anniversaries, or unexpected moments bring up intense emotions.
Struggling to accept what has happened or wishing things could go back to how they were.
Feeling disconnected from friends, family, or activities you once enjoyed.
Experiencing changes in your sleep, appetite, energy, or concentration.
Wondering how to move forward while still holding on to someone or something important.
Feeling guilty when you laugh, enjoy yourself, or have a good day.
Finding it difficult to talk about your loss because you're worried about upsetting others or being misunderstood.
Feeling lonely, even when you're surrounded by people.
Struggling with changes in your identity, routines, relationships, or sense of purpose.
Feeling frustrated with yourself for not grieving in the way you think you should.
How Do You Know If You're Struggling With Grief
You don't need to relate to every experience on this list to seek support. And you don't need to wait until your grief feels overwhelming. If your loss is affecting your everyday life or you simply need somewhere to talk about what you're going through, counselling can offer a place to start.
Our Grief Therapists
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Angela Quail (she/her)
Registered Social Worker
Individual & EMDR Therapy
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Di-Anne Martin (she/her)
Registered Social Worker
Individual Therapy and Couples Therapy -
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Amrit Babbra (she/her)
Registered Social Worker
Individual & Couples Therapy
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Arsh Reddick (she/her)
Registered Social Worker
Individual & Teen Therapy -
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Jordan Hunsberger (he/him)
Registered Psychotherapist
Individual Therapy & Couples Therapy -
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Mais Haj-Ayoub (she/her)
Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Individual Therapy
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Christopher Mertz (he/him)
Registered Psychotherapist
Individual & Teen Therapy -
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Ivonne Hammoud (she/her)
Registered Social Worker, Clinical Director
Individual Therapy and Couples Therapy*Not accepting new clients
How Grief Therapy Can Help
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Grief can bring a mix of emotions, sometimes all in the same day. You might feel sadness, anger, relief, guilt, or even moments of happiness that leave you wondering whether you should feel that way. Whether you're grieving a loss that has happened, anticipating a loss, or navigating an uncertain situation, therapy offers space to explore your feelings without judgment or pressure to follow a timeline.
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Grief can affect more than our emotions. It can influence sleep, concentration, energy, relationships, and everyday responsibilities. Whether you're coping with a recent loss, watching someone you love change due to illness, or grieving a relationship without clear closure, you may feel exhausted, distracted, or unlike yourself. Understanding these responses can help you approach yourself with greater patience and compassion.
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Sometimes, memories or reminders of past experiences can continue to bring up intense emotions, fear, shame, or distress. Depending on your needs therapy may help you process these experiences so they feel less overwhelming. You don't have to revisit everything at once, and your therapist will work with you to determine what feels appropriate and when you're ready.
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Grief can change family dynamics, daily routines, responsibilities, and how you imagine your future. You might be preparing for changes in a loved one's health, adjusting to a relationship that has changed, or struggling when others don't understand your loss. Therapy can help you navigate these changes, identify your needs, and communicate with others while allowing yourself the space you need.
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One of the hardest parts of grief can be figuring out how to move forward when life looks different than you expected. You might wonder how to enjoy yourself without guilt, prepare for a future you're not ready for, or live with uncertainty when there's no clear resolution. Therapy can help you explore what moving forward means to you, at your own pace, while honouring what matters to you.
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Grief doesn't follow a straight line, and healing doesn't mean your loss stops mattering. Over time, you may find ways to carry your memories, maintain meaningful connections, or adjust to changes you never expected. Therapy can help you discover sources of comfort, connection, and meaning, even when grief remains part of your life.
Grief can be hard to put into words. You might feel pressure to be strong for others, worry you're taking too long to heal, or struggle to imagine life looking different than you expected.
Grief therapy offers space to explore your feelings without pressure to move on or forget what you've lost. Together, we'll work toward understanding your grief and finding ways to move forward while still honouring what matters to you.
Trauma Therapy for Children, Teens, and Adults in Waterloo & Online Accross Ontario
Grief can bring different challenges at different stages of life. Children may express their feelings through behaviour, teens may feel alone in their experience, and adults may struggle to balance their own grief with everyday responsibilities. At NMC, we tailor our support to each person's age, circumstances, and needs.
Children: Children may express grief through questions, behavioural changes, irritability, clinginess, sleep difficulties, or changes in school and play. As their understanding grows, new feelings and questions may emerge. Therapy offers an age-appropriate space to express emotions, ask questions, and develop coping skills. Parent or caregiver involvement can also help support children through grief.
Teens: Grief can feel isolating when you're also navigating friendships, school, identity, and family changes. Teens may withdraw, feel misunderstood, or struggle to talk about their loss. Therapy provides a supportive space to explore their feelings and find ways to cope without pressure to grieve a certain way.
Adults: Grief can affect relationships, parenting, work, and plans for the future. You might feel pressure to carry on as usual while adjusting to a life that feels different. Therapy can help you process your loss, navigate changes, and find ways to care for yourself as you adjust to what life looks like now.
How We Approach Grief at NMC
At New Moon Counselling, we recognize that grief can bring complicated emotions, unanswered questions, and changes you never expected. Your therapist will work with you to find an approach that fits your experiences and needs.
Depending on your needs, sessions may incorporate Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), EMDR or Compassion-Focused Therapy. These approaches can help you make sense of your feelings, navigate difficult thoughts, and find ways to honour what you've lost while reconnecting with what matters to you.
There's no timeline to follow or pressure to have everything figured out. We'll meet you where you are as you find your own way through grief.
When we think of grief, we often think of losing someone we love. But grief isn't limited to death. We can grieve relationships, changes in our health, lost opportunities, or the future we imagined. Sometimes, the loss is clear; other times, we may struggle to understand why we're hurting.
At NMC, we support children, teens, and adults navigating many forms of grief, including:
Grief after the death of a loved one: Coping with the loss of a partner, parent, child, friend, or someone important to you.
Anticipatory grief: Grieving before a loss occurs, such as when a loved one has a serious or life-limiting illness.
Relationship grief: Processing a breakup, divorce, separation, or the loss of a meaningful connection.
Pregnancy and fertility-related grief: Navigating miscarriage, stillbirth, infertility, or the loss of an anticipated experience of parenthood.
Life transition grief: Adjusting to changes such as becoming a parent, children leaving home, retirement, or other major life changes.
Health-related grief: Coming to terms with a diagnosis, chronic illness, changes in physical abilities, or shifts in daily life.
Disenfranchised grief: Experiencing a loss others may not recognize or understand, such as estrangement, an unacknowledged relationship, or the loss of a beloved pet.
Ambiguous loss: Grieving without clear closure, such as when a loved one has dementia or someone is physically or emotionally absent from your life.
Grief doesn't always fit neatly into one category, and you may experience several types of loss at once. There's no hierarchy of grief, and you don't need to compare your experience to anyone else's. If a loss has affected your life, your feelings deserve space, understanding, and support.
The Types of Grief We Work With
Ready To Get Started?
We make getting started easy!
New Clients
Ready to take the next step? You can book a counselling appointment directly online with one of our therapists using the button below.
If you have questions, would like help finding a therapist who feels like the right fit, or would prefer a little support with booking, simply fill out our contact form. We’ll be happy to connect with you and help you get started.
Existing Clients
You can log in to your account through your client portal to schedule or change appointments, or email us.
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