Grief & Loss Counselling in Toronto, Brampton & Mississauga
Grief doesn't follow a schedule, and it doesn't only follow a death. Our registered grief therapists walk alongside adults, teens, and children through loss — in person at our clinics or through virtual grief counselling across Ontario.
What Is Grief?
Grief is the natural response to losing something that mattered. Most people associate it with death, but grief follows any significant loss — a relationship ending, a diagnosis, infertility, estrangement, a career, a home, or the future you had pictured.
There is no correct way to grieve and no schedule you're supposed to keep. Grief counselling doesn't rush you through it or ask you to “move on.” It gives you somewhere to put the weight, and helps you carry the loss in a way that leaves room for living.
- What grief can feel like: waves of sadness, numbness, anger, guilt, relief followed by shame, longing, or nothing at all for stretches of time
- How it shows up in the body: exhaustion, disrupted sleep, appetite changes, brain fog, tight chest, getting sick more often
How Grief Counselling Supports You
Grief counselling won't make the loss smaller. It helps you build a life that has room for both the grief and the living — with support that doesn't expect you to be finished by now.
Space to Feel
Somewhere the grief doesn't need managing or hiding.
Less Isolation
Being understood by someone who won't rush you.
Relief From Guilt
Untangle the “should haves” that keep circling.
Steadier Days
Practical support for sleep, energy, and routine.
Grief Counselling
Support, understanding, and no timeline you have to meet.
Continuing Bonds
Stay connected to who you lost, in a way that helps.
Room to Live
Joy returns without meaning you've forgotten.
How Grief Shows Up
Grief isn't only about death, and it doesn't always look like sadness. Recognising your kind of loss helps shape the right support.
Loss of a Loved One
The death of a partner, parent, child, sibling, friend, or a beloved pet — sudden or expected.
- Waves of grief that catch you off guard
- Difficulty with reminders & anniversaries
- Struggling to imagine life continuing
Non-Death & Disenfranchised Loss
Grief others don't acknowledge — divorce, infertility, estrangement, a diagnosis, a miscarriage, or losing a career or home.
- Feeling you have no right to grieve
- Little support from those around you
- Loss that has no ritual or recognition
Complicated Grief
When grief stays intense and disabling long after the loss, or becomes tangled with trauma, guilt, or depression.
- Intense longing that doesn't ease
- Life feeling permanently on hold
- Avoiding all reminders — or nothing else
How Grief Counselling Works
There is no formula, and we won't hand you the five stages and send you home. Your grief therapist follows your lead, offering evidence-based support shaped around your loss, your beliefs, and your pace.
Individual Grief Therapy
One-to-one space to say the things you can't say elsewhere — including the anger, the guilt, and the relief. Your therapist helps you process the loss without pressure to reach any particular stage.
Individual Therapy
Support for Complicated Grief
When grief is tangled with trauma, guilt, or depression, targeted approaches help loosen what's stuck — so mourning can move rather than loop.
Psychological Services
Family & Children's Grief Support
Loss reshapes a whole family, and children grieve differently from adults. We support parents in helping their children, and families in grieving together rather than separately.
Children & Youth TherapyYour Grief Counselling Journey
There is no wrong time to reach out — days after a loss, or years later. Here's what working with a grief therapist at McDowall looks like. See our fees and insurance page for costs.
Free Intake Consult
Call (416) 485-5555 ext. 1 or fill out our online form. An intake counsellor listens — you don't need to explain everything.
Get Matched
We match you with a registered therapist experienced in grief and bereavement, based on your loss, schedule, and preferences.
Space to Grieve
Early sessions are about being heard without judgement or hurry — and steadying sleep, energy, and daily routine.
Carrying It Forward
Over time, you find a way to hold the loss that leaves room for living, connection, and eventually joy.
Grief Support That Looks at the Whole Person
At McDowall Integrative Psychology & Healthcare, we know grief lands in the body as much as the mind — and we support both.
- Registered psychotherapists & psychologists experienced in grief and bereavement
- No stages, no timeline, no pressure to “move on”
- Support for individuals, couples, families, and children
- Receipts provided for insurance coverage
Meet Therapists Who Can Help
Browse our experienced therapists and find the right fit for you — or get matched and we'll do it for you.
Accepting ClientsKelly Campbell
Accepting ClientsMichael Manni
Accepting ClientsGurjit Jhuty
Accepting ClientsHuda Syed
Accepting ClientsSamra Hashim
Accepting Clients
Is This Grief, or Something More?
Grief and depression can look almost identical from the outside, and sudden or traumatic loss can also leave trauma in its wake. Knowing which you're dealing with changes what actually helps.
Our comprehensive psychological assessments give you clarity, and because we're an integrative clinic, our naturopathic doctors can also support the physical toll grief takes — sleep, energy, appetite, and immune health.
Request An AssessmentFind a Grief Therapist Near You
See a therapist in person or online — whichever fits your life. Many clients combine both.
Looking for a grief counsellor near you? McDowall provides grief and loss counselling in Toronto, Brampton, and Mississauga, plus online bereavement counselling across Ontario — including Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Kitchener, Windsor, and Barrie. All of our clinicians are registered to practise in Canada and provide receipts for insurance.
Toronto
In-person grief counselling in Toronto — bereavement and loss support at our midtown clinic.
Toronto Clinic →Brampton
Grief and loss counselling in Brampton for adults, teens, and families across Peel Region.
Brampton Clinic →Mississauga
Bereavement counselling in Mississauga — convenient in-person sessions for the west GTA.
Mississauga Clinic →Virtual — Ontario
Online grief counselling across Ontario — secure virtual sessions from anywhere in the province.
Get Matched →Is Grief Counselling Right For Me?
There's no threshold you need to cross. If the loss is heavy and you're carrying it alone, that's enough.
Waves of Sadness
Grief that arrives without warning, months or years on.
Feeling Numb
Detached, flat, or strangely nothing at all.
Guilt & Regret
The “should haves” that keep circling at night.
Trouble Sleeping
Nights are the hardest part of the day.
Isolation
People stopped asking, so you stopped saying.
Anger
At the situation, at others, at the person you lost.
Life on Hold
Months on, you still can't move forward.
Anniversary Dread
Dates, seasons, and places that reopen everything.
Grief & Loss Questions, Answered
How can I start counselling right away?+
Call our Intake Department at (416) 485-5555 ext. 1 — an intake counsellor will ask a few questions and connect you with a therapist right away. Or fill out the web form on our site and our intake team will follow up by phone or email.
How long is grief supposed to last?+
There is no correct length. Grief softens and changes shape rather than ending, and it often returns around anniversaries and milestones. If it stays intense and disabling long after the loss, that's worth support — not a sign you're failing.
Is it too soon, or too late, to start grief counselling?+
Neither. Some people come days after a loss; others come years later when something reopens it. Both are valid reasons to reach out.
Do the five stages of grief actually apply?+
Not the way most people think. The stages were originally observed in people facing their own terminal illness, not the bereaved, and grief rarely moves in a neat order. We won't try to fit your experience into them.
Can I get grief counselling for a loss that wasn't a death?+
Yes. Divorce, infertility, miscarriage, estrangement, a diagnosis, job loss, and losing a pet are all genuine losses that deserve support — even when others don't recognise them as grief.
Is my grief actually depression?+
They overlap and can occur together. In grief, painful feelings usually come in waves and are tied to the loss; in depression, low mood is more constant and self-worth is often affected. A therapist can help you tell the difference and treat both if needed.
Do you help children who are grieving?+
Yes — we support children and adolescents, and coach parents on how to talk about death and loss in ways that fit their child's age and understanding.
Do you offer online grief counselling in Ontario?+
Yes. We provide virtual bereavement counselling anywhere in Ontario — including Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, London, Kitchener, and Windsor — which many clients prefer when leaving the house feels like too much.
Is grief counselling covered by insurance?+
Most extended health plans cover registered psychotherapists and psychologists. We provide receipts you can submit to your insurer — see our fees and insurance page for details.
More questions? Visit our full FAQ page.
Related Reading & Services
You Don't Have to Carry It Alone
Book a free intake consult and get matched with a registered grief counsellor — in Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, or online across Ontario.