Grief and loss — following a death, the end of a relationship, or another life turning point — often unfold on levels that conscious thought alone cannot reach.

How grief shows up

Grief is not one single path and has no timetable. It can show up as sadness, anger, guilt, numbness or even a relief that is hard to admit. It appears with the death of someone close, but also with the end of a relationship or the loss of health or a job. It often returns in waves when you were sure it was behind you. This does not mean you are grieving wrongly, but that a loss needs time and space for the psyche to work through it.

A psychoanalytic view of grief and loss

Freud described mourning as work — a process in which the psyche gradually works through emotional attachment to the lost object. This process cannot be accelerated and does not proceed in a straight line.

Therapy holds space for all of these, at times contradictory, feelings, without pressure for grief to look a certain way or end within a certain timeframe.

Psychotherapy for grief and loss in practice

In practice, this means there is no pressure for grief to 'progress' on a set schedule.

How I work with grief and loss

In therapy there is room for everything that arises in grief, including contradictory feelings that are hard to voice elsewhere. I do not hurry, and I do not expect the pain to lessen; I stay with you in what is there. Sometimes, through this, your relationship to what was lost begins to change, without your having to forget it. Sessions are weekly, in Ljubljana or by video call.

Help with grief and loss in Ljubljana

I offer psychoanalytic psychotherapy for grief and loss in Ljubljana or online (by video call). At the beginning we agree on three introductory sessions (45–50 minutes each), in which you see how I work and whether psychoanalytic psychotherapy suits you. After that we agree on regular weekly sessions.

If a loss returns in waves or holds you back in life, psychotherapy can offer a space for every shade of grief.

More about how psychotherapy works and how to book an appointment.

Frequently asked questions about grief and loss

Does psychotherapy help with grief and loss?

Psychoanalytic psychotherapy for grief and loss does not look only for a way to ease the difficulty, but for an understanding of what it is communicating. I work with the causes of distress and not only with the distress as expressed. Once we find the cause, and during the psychotherapeutic process, symptoms often ease or disappear.

How long does psychotherapy for grief and loss take?

Duration is individual and depends on the therapeutic goal and on how long the difficulties have been present. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy can last from a few months to a few years. One session lasts 45 to 50 minutes; usually once a week, and by arrangement sometimes several times a week.

Does grief last a certain amount of time?

Grief is not a single path and has no timetable. Some feelings return several times, in different forms. In therapy there is room for every shade of grief.