Grief Counselling After Losing Your Spouse or Partner
For the person who shared the life you're now supposed to rebuild.
✓ Same-week ✓ Direct billing ✓ Sliding scale ✓ Licensed therapists
Book a free consultationFor the person who shared the life you're now supposed to rebuild.
✓ Same-week ✓ Direct billing ✓ Sliding scale ✓ Licensed therapists
Book a free consultationEvery clinician is registered with a regulatory college — the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO), the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW), or the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO).
We want therapy to be financially accessible for everyone. Reduced rates are available case-by-case based on need and availability.
We submit directly to most major insurers, so you don't pay out of pocket upfront.
Our office is in Ottawa. All client records are stored in Canada and handled under PIPEDA and PHIPA.
A few of the things widowed people often say out loud here for the first time.
WHAT PEOPLE BRING
Half the closet, half the bed, the second chair at the kitchen table. The absence is everywhere in the house, which is why quiet evenings at home are often the hardest part.
Banks, insurance, the house, sometimes a business. A widowed person is handed a second job on the worst day of their life, and the paperwork doesn't pause for the grief.
You answer "I'm managing" because the true answer is too long. Plenty of widowed people hold themselves steady all day and come undone only in the car or the shower. That gap is exhausting.
Counselling here starts with the size of it. Losing a partner means grieving a person and a shared future at the same time, and the work honours both instead of hurrying you toward "moving on."
What that looks like varies. For some people it's a place to fall apart safely once a week while holding a job and a household together the rest of the time. For others it's untangling harder threads: guilt about what the last months looked like, anger nobody wants to hear, or the confusing moments where relief and devastation sit side by side. Later, if and when it fits, it can also be a place to think about who you are on your own, and what rebuilding might mean, defined by you rather than by anyone's schedule.
Our grief counselling page covers the wider picture, and if intense grief isn't easing with time, the complicated grief page explains that pattern.
Email, phone, or fill out our booking form. There's no script and no pressure. You can share as much or as little as you want.
A real person, not a bot, will reply as soon as we can with a few options for a free 15-minute consultation.
We listen. You ask questions. No paperwork, no obligation. If we're not the right match, we'll point you toward someone who might be.
Direct billing where possible. Evening and weekend availability. Virtual or in-person in Ottawa.
Sessions are 50 minutes in length. Rates vary by therapist and are confirmed during your free consultation. We accept e-transfer and credit cards, and direct-bill most insurers.
Sliding-scale spots are available based on need. Ask during your free consultation.
Same 50-minute format, structured for two participants and shared concerns.
Registered Psychotherapist and Registered Social Worker services are covered by most extended health plans in Canada. We recommend confirming your specific coverage before your first paid session. Sun Life, Manulife, Canada Life, Green Shield, and most major insurers include coverage.
We direct-bill where your insurer allows it. Otherwise, you pay at the time of session and submit the receipt for reimbursement.
Every session generates a receipt listing the provider's license number, suitable for insurance reimbursement.
In-person sessions are held at our Ottawa office. Virtual sessions use a secure, PIPEDA-compliant video platform. You can switch between the two.
We ask for 24 hours notice on cancellations. Late cancellations and no-shows are charged the full session fee.
After the free 15-minute consultation, your first paid session is intake-focused. Bring questions, anything you have already tried, and any goals you have in mind.
QUESTIONS
Whenever you want support; there's no required waiting period and no deadline. Some people come within weeks because the ground is gone, others come at the one-year mark when everyone assumes they're fine. Both are normal times to start.
Very. Guilt about laughing again, sorting their belongings, or eventually imagining new companionship shows up for many widowed people. Moving forward and staying loyal to what you had aren't actually in conflict, and therapy is a good place to work out what that means for you.
Yes. Losing a partner young carries its own weight: raising kids alone, peers who can't relate, decades of shared plans gone. Our therapists work with widowed adults at any age and stage.
No. You can book directly with a Registered Psychotherapist or Registered Social Worker without a doctor's referral. Some insurance plans ask for one before reimbursing, so it is worth checking your policy.
Psychotherapy with a Registered Psychotherapist or Registered Social Worker is not covered by OHIP. Many extended health and workplace benefit plans cover it, though plans differ on which credentials they reimburse. Check whether yours covers RP, RSW, or both.
Yes. Our therapists offer secure video sessions to clients anywhere in Ontario, and many people mix virtual and in-person visits depending on the week. Everything discussed stays confidential either way.
Therapy is a longer-term relationship. If you're in acute distress, please reach the services below first. They are free, confidential, and available right now.
