Grief Counseling & Bereavement Therapy in Arvada

Finding Peace After Pain

Deep pain, whether from a traumatic event, a moral wound, or a significant loss, changes how you see the world. We provide a safe, compassionate space to process your story, regulate your nervous system, and help you find meaning and peace on the other side of pain.

Compassionate Grief Support and Bereavement Therapy

Grief is not a problem to be fixed, but a journey to be witnessed. Whether you have lost a loved one, a relationship, or a dream, the pain can feel disorienting. Society often tells us to “move on,” but true healing doesn’t mean forgetting—it means finding a way to carry your loss with you as you move forward.

At 70 West Counseling, we provide bereavement therapy that honors your timeline. You don’t have to “get over it” to get through it.

The Pressure to “Move On”: Understanding Disenfranchised Grief

One of the hardest parts of grief is the expectation to return to “normal” before you are ready. You may experience Disenfranchised Grief—the feeling that your pain isn’t valid because of the type of loss (such as a divorce, miscarriage, or pet loss). Therapy breaks this isolation, offering a space where your grief is allowed to exist as long as it needs to.

Common Signs of Grief

Grief impacts the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. As noted by the American Psychological Association (APA), grief often manifests physically before it is understood emotionally.

• Physical: Exhaustion, digestive issues, changes in appetite, or a “heaviness” in the chest.
• Emotional: Anger, deep sadness, numbness, or even relief (common in long illnesses).
• Cognitive: “Grief brain” (forgetfulness), difficulty concentrating, or intrusive thoughts.

Complicated Grief (Prolonged Grief Disorder)

Most grief softens with time, moving from an acute, overwhelming pain to a quieter, background sadness. But for some, the intense pain remains acute for months or years. This is known as Complicated Grief (or Prolonged Grief Disorder).

It often feels like you are frozen in the moment of loss, unable to envision a future without your loved one. According to the Mayo Clinic, this type of grief requires specialized support to help you get “unstuck.”

Signs You May Be Experiencing Complicated Grief

If it has been more than a year since your loss and you still feel the same intensity of pain as day one, common signs include:

Moving Forward vs. Moving On

Healing from complicated grief doesn’t mean forgetting. It means integrating the loss. We help you build a life that honors your loved one while allowing you to participate in the present.

You do not have to carry this weight indefinitely. If you feel stuck in your grief, we can help you find the path forward.

Traumatic Grief & Sudden Loss

When a loss is sudden, violent, or unexpected (such as an accident, suicide, or overdose), the brain often gets stuck between Grief and Trauma. You may find yourself unable to mourn the person because you are traumatized by the event of their death.

In Traumatic Grief, the natural grieving process is blocked by the nervous system’s fight-or-flight response. You might be haunted by images of the event, preventing you from accessing the happy memories of your loved one.

Signs of Traumatic Grief

Unlike standard bereavement, traumatic grief often includes symptoms of PTSD:

• Intrusive Images: Flashbacks or nightmares about the moment of death or receiving the news.
• Hypervigilance: A persistent fear that another tragedy is about to happen to those you love.
• Avoidance: Being unable to look at photos or visit specific places because they trigger a panic response.
• Numbness: A protective “shutdown” where you feel completely detached from your surroundings.

How We Treat Traumatic Loss

You cannot “talk” your way out of trauma. We use targeted therapies to help your brain process the shock first so you can eventually move into natural grieving.

• EMDR Therapy: We use EMDR to target the traumatic memory of the death. By desensitizing the shock, we “unlock” the brain, allowing natural grief to flow.
• Somatic Therapy: Helping your body release the physical “bracing” and tension that follows a sudden shock.
• Safety Building: Restoring a sense of security in the world so you don’t have to live in constant fear.

Support for Specialized Types of Loss

Grief doesn’t only happen when a person dies. You can grieve the loss of a marriage, a career, a pet, or even the loss of a person who is still alive (such as in cases of dementia).

At 70 West Counseling, we recognize that every loss is valid. We provide specialized support for the types of grief that society often overlooks.

Types of Loss We Treat

• Anticipatory Grief: The pain of grieving a loved one before they are gone. This is common for caregivers of those with terminal illness. We help you navigate the guilt and exhaustion of the “long goodbye.”
• Relationship Loss (Divorce/Breakups): The end of a relationship is a death of the future you imagined. We help you process the rejection, loneliness, and identity shift.
• Secondary Losses: The “ripple effects” of loss—such as losing your financial security, your home, or your social circle after a major life change.
• Life Transitions: Grieving the “empty nest,” retirement, or a loss of health and mobility.

Your Story Isn’t Over. Grief changes you, but it doesn’t have to define you. Let’s find meaning on the other side of loss together.