Grief Counseling
Grief counseling at Hearts Aligned Therapy provides a compassionate, supportive space for processing the pain of loss. Steven Makulinski, LMFT helps clients navigate the complex emotions of grief — including sadness, anger, guilt, confusion, and numbness — at their own pace. Whether you are mourning the death of a loved one, a relationship ending, a career loss, or another significant life change, grief counseling honors your unique experience and helps you find a path forward. Steven draws on attachment theory, meaning-making frameworks, and evidence-based grief interventions to support your healing.
What to Expect
Understanding Grief and Its Many Forms
Grief is a natural response to loss, and it manifests differently for every person. At Hearts Aligned Therapy in Rockwall, TX, Steven Makulinski provides grief counseling for all types of loss including the death of a family member, friend, or pet; the end of a marriage or significant relationship; job loss or career transitions; loss of health or physical abilities; miscarriage or infertility; and the loss of a sense of safety or normalcy. There is no right or wrong way to grieve, and grief counseling respects your individual experience.
What to Expect in Grief Counseling
Grief counseling at Hearts Aligned Therapy is a gentle, client-directed process. Steven Makulinski creates a safe environment where you can express the full range of emotions that accompany loss without judgment. Sessions may involve talking about your relationship with what was lost, exploring the meaning of the loss in your life, processing difficult emotions like guilt or anger, developing coping strategies for grief triggers, and gradually finding ways to honor your loss while re-engaging with life. There is no timeline or pressure — therapy moves at your pace.
When Grief Becomes Complicated
While grief is a normal process, some people experience complicated grief — also called prolonged grief disorder — where intense grief symptoms persist for an extended period and significantly impair daily functioning. Signs of complicated grief include an inability to accept the reality of the loss months or years later, intense longing that does not diminish over time, feeling that life has no meaning or purpose, difficulty engaging in daily activities, and social withdrawal. Hearts Aligned Therapy provides specialized interventions for complicated grief.
Supporting Grieving Families
Loss affects entire families, and family members often grieve differently. At Hearts Aligned Therapy, Steven Makulinski can work with individuals and families to help navigate the collective impact of loss. Family grief counseling helps members understand each other's grieving styles, communicate about the loss openly, support one another through the process, and maintain family cohesion during a painful time. This is especially important when a family has lost a central member.
Healing and Moving Forward
Grief counseling does not aim to make you forget your loss or stop feeling sadness. Instead, the goal is to help you integrate the loss into your life in a way that allows you to function, find meaning, and eventually experience joy again. Steven Makulinski uses meaning-making frameworks that help you honor the significance of what was lost while building a life that moves forward. Many clients find that grief counseling helps them develop a deeper appreciation for their connections and a stronger sense of resilience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Get Started?
Take the first step toward healing. Schedule a session to discuss how grief counseling can help you.