What I Help With

Grief Counseling in Seattle

For the death of someone you love, and for the other losses that change a life: a marriage, a role, a hope, or your health.

Illustration of an older woman holding a small keepsake beside a window

We make room for what you have lost, and for the life that is still here.

Grief can draw you back into the past and leave the future hard to imagine. We do not need to push either away. I help you stay with what you feel in the present, with room for memory and for your own hopes.

A loss can change familiar parts of your day. I listen for what you miss and what feels unfinished.

What It Can Feel Like

  • Waves of sadness that come without warning
  • Guilt or regret
  • Anger
  • Feeling alone in it
  • Losing track of who you are without them
  • Grief for a relationship that diminished rather than ended
David Johnson in a light blue shirt in natural light
David Johnson, Ed.D., LMHC

Grief Has No Schedule

Grief does not follow stages in order. It changes shape over time. We make room for it and for your life going on.

I do not set a deadline for how you should feel. We can discuss what the loss means now and what you want help carrying. Your experience does not have to match someone else’s.

Who I See for This

I work with adults from their twenties into their nineties who are grieving a death or another significant loss. Grief may follow a separation, changing health, a lost role or a hope that did not become real.

Individual sessions give you room for your experience. Couples or family work may be useful when people are carrying the same loss differently and finding it difficult to understand each other.

Strengths and Support

What Can Change

Room for Your Feelings
You may find words for sadness, anger or regret that have been hard to share. We can hold those feelings without requiring an explanation for each one.
A Sense of Yourself
We explore who you are as roles and relationships change. You can remember what mattered while considering what you need in the life you have now.
A Way Forward
We look at small steps connected to your own hopes. Moving toward something does not require deciding that the loss no longer matters to you.

How I Approach It

How I Work
  1. Grief and Loss Work

    We talk about the loss in your words, including feelings that seem contradictory. You do not have to make your grief acceptable or tidy before bringing it here.

  2. Insight Into What the Loss Means

    We consider what changed in your relationships, your identity and your expectations. Earlier experiences may also shape how you carry this loss, and we can explore them gently.

  3. Skills for Calming Yourself

    When feelings become overwhelming, we practice ways to settle your body and mind. Those skills can give you something to return to between sessions, without trying to erase grief.

  4. Strengths First

    I help you notice the capacities you still have, even when life feels unfamiliar. We consider what supports you and how to make room for your needs now.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does grief last?

There is no set schedule. We work with how the loss affects you now, rather than deciding when you should be finished grieving.

Is it normal to still feel this way years later?

Grief can remain part of life years after a loss. You can seek support without judging yourself for still feeling it.

Can you help with losses that are not deaths?

Yes. I work with grief for relationships, roles, hopes and health, as well as the death of someone you love.