Grief Counselling in Vancouver — Bereavement Therapy for Loss That Has Not Moved - Dr. Samuel

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Grief counselling in Vancouver for the one in ten whose grief has stalled

Talk to Samuel directly. No receptionist, no intake forms. Call 604-721-0604 · Text what is going on · Book a free 20-minute call. In-person in downtown Vancouver or by video across BC; evenings available.

Most grief does not need therapy. Grief that has stalled does.

Bereavement is not an illness, and most people move through it with time and the people around them. A minority do not. A systematic review of adult bereavement found “a pooled prevalence of PGD of 9.8% (95% CI 6.8-14.0)” (Lundorff et al., 2017, p. 138), and concluded that “one out of ten bereaved adults is at risk for PGD” (Lundorff et al., 2017, p. 138). Prolonged grief disorder is “a bereavement-specific syndrome” now recognized in the ICD-11 (Lundorff et al., 2017, p. 138).

For those people, counselling helps. A meta-analysis of 31 randomized trials found “statistically significant pooled effects of psychological intervention on grief symptoms … for both post-intervention (Hedges’s g = 0.41, p > .001, K = 31) and follow-up (g = 0.45, p > .001, K = 18)” (Johannsen et al., 2019, p. 69).

What grief counselling in Vancouver looks like here

Who it is for. The research is specific about who benefits most: larger effects were found for “individually delivered interventions”, for “participants who were ≥6 months post-loss”, and for “participants included based on high baseline symptom levels” (Johannsen et al., 2019, p. 69). In plain terms: one-to-one sessions, for people whose grief is still acute months later.

The method. Grief-focused cognitive behavioural therapy, the approach with the strongest trial evidence. A 2024 meta-analysis of 22 trials found “a statistically significant medium effect on PGD symptoms at postintervention (K = 22, g = 0.65, 95% CI [0.49, 0.81]), and a large effect at follow-up (K = 7, g = 0.90, 95% CI [0.37, 1.43])” (Komischke-Konnerup et al., 2024, p. 236). The same treatments also reduced “posttraumatic stress symptoms (K = 10, g = 0.74, 95% CI [0.49, 0.98]), depression (K = 19, g = 0.53, 95% CI [0.36, 0.71]), and anxiety (K = 9, g = 0.35, 95% CI [0.22, 0.49])” (Komischke-Konnerup et al., 2024, p. 236). Where the death was sudden or violent, trauma work and EMDR are integrated; where the loss has reopened an old family wound, Internal Family Systems is used.

Common reasons people come

A loss that still feels like yesterday a year later; avoiding every reminder, or being unable to stop; guilt about what was or was not said; a sudden, violent or ambiguous death; grief after a miscarriage or an estrangement that nobody else treats as a loss; a partner or parent who is grieving in a way the rest of the family cannot reach (see family therapy). Where a crime caused the death, counselling may be funded through CVAP, see CVAP counselling.

Your grief counsellor

Samuel Ezzatilord, PhD, RCC, CCC, LMCC, is a Registered Clinical Counsellor (BCACC #23405) and Canadian Certified Counsellor with more than 25 years of clinical experience, including years of work in humanitarian and hospital settings. The research itself counsels humility: findings should be generalized “with caution due to considerable inconsistency and indirectness of meta-analytic evidence” (Komischke-Konnerup et al., 2024, p. 236), so the first conversation is about whether counselling is the right step for you at all.

Frequently asked questions

Is it normal to still be grieving after a year?

Grief has no deadline, and intensity alone is not a problem. What counts is whether it has stalled your life. Research estimates “one out of ten bereaved adults is at risk for PGD” (Lundorff et al., 2017, p. 138); the other nine recover with time and support.

What is prolonged grief disorder?

It is “a bereavement-specific syndrome” recognized in the ICD-11 (Lundorff et al., 2017, p. 138), marked by grief that stays acute and impairing long after the loss. Diagnosis is a clinical judgement made in person, not from a web page.

Does grief counselling help?

For people with elevated grief symptoms, yes. Johannsen et al. (2019) concluded that “psychological intervention appears efficacious for alleviating grief symptoms in bereaved adults” (p. 69).

When is the right time to start?

The research found larger effects for “participants who were ≥6 months post-loss” (Johannsen et al., 2019, p. 69). Earlier support is still available; the free call helps decide what is useful now.

What approach do you use?

Grief-focused CBT, integrated with trauma work or IFS as needed. Trials show CBTs “are efficacious in reducing PGD symptoms in adulthood” (Komischke-Konnerup et al., 2024, p. 236).

Is one-to-one better than a support group?

For reducing grief symptoms, the evidence favoured “individually delivered interventions” (Johannsen et al., 2019, p. 69). Support groups provide something different, company, and many people use both.

Is grief counselling covered by insurance in BC?

Fees and expenses are covered by ICBC, CVAP, FNHA, IFHP, RCMP, VAC, and most other insurers, and direct billing is available. Most extended-health plans reimburse RCC sessions.

Can I do it online?

Yes. In person in downtown Vancouver or by secure video across BC.

What happens when you call

The first conversation is a free 20-minute phone call with Samuel Ezzatilord, PhD, RCC, CCC, LMCC (RCC #23405). You describe what is going on; he tells you plainly whether what he offers fits and what a first session would involve. Sessions are available in English and Farsi, in person at Suite 1300, 1500 West Georgia St, Vancouver, or by secure video anywhere in BC. Fees and expenses are covered by ICBC, CVAP, FNHA, IFHP, RCMP, VAC, and most other insurers, and direct billing is available.

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Related pages: Depression counselling · Trauma therapy · Family therapy · Individual therapy

References

Johannsen, M., Damholdt, M. F., Zachariae, R., Lundorff, M., Farver-Vestergaard, I., & O’Connor, M. (2019). Psychological interventions for grief in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Affective Disorders, 253, 69–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.04.065

Komischke-Konnerup, K. B., Zachariae, R., Boelen, P. A., Marello, M. M., & O’Connor, M. (2024). Grief-focused cognitive behavioral therapies for prolonged grief symptoms: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 92(4), 236–248. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000884

Lundorff, M., Holmgren, H., Zachariae, R., Farver-Vestergaard, I., & O’Connor, M. (2017). Prevalence of prolonged grief disorder in adult bereavement: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders, 212, 138–149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2017.01.030