High Thrive Counseling · Adults · Broad Ripple
Grief Counseling
in Indianapolis
For the sadness. The anger. The numbness. And the “I have no idea what to do with any of this.”
Loss can leave you trying to live an ordinary day in a life that no longer feels ordinary. At High Thrive Counseling, I offer grief counseling for adults in Indianapolis and online in Indiana and Florida.
You don’t have to explain it perfectly. We can start with what hurts.
- In person in Indianapolis
- Online in Indiana + Florida
You need somewhere to put it down.
When “How are you?” gets complicated
Everyone else seems to be moving on. You’re just trying to get through Tuesday.
Maybe the calls have slowed down. People have gone back to work. And you’re still reaching for your phone to tell someone who is no longer there about your day.
Or maybe there was no funeral, no gathering, and no obvious moment when people understood that you had lost something important.
You might be crying in the car, getting irritated over small things, or feeling strangely flat. You might feel relief and then feel guilty about the relief. There is room for those conversations here.
Wondering why some days hit harder? Read why grief can feel worse at different times.
Your feelings
Sadness, longing, anger, numbness, or emotions that seem to arrive together.
Your thinking
Concentration slips, looping questions, or decisions that suddenly feel enormous.
Your routines
The empty chair, unfamiliar responsibilities, or a bedtime that feels too quiet.
Your relationships
Wanting company, needing space, or feeling misunderstood by people who care.
The loss matters because it matters to you
Grief doesn’t always come with a sympathy card.
Bereavement counseling makes space for life after someone dies. Grief counseling can also address losses that other people may not recognize. We can talk about what changed—and what that change means to you.
A person or pet has died
A partner, parent, friend, family member, or animal companion. The relationship may have been loving, difficult, or both.
Illness or caregiving
You’re facing a loved one’s decline, anticipating a death, or grieving changes that are already happening.
Divorce or estrangement
Someone is alive, but your connection to them is different—or absent. There may be no neat ending to make sense of.
Health or independence
A diagnosis, disability, or change in abilities has altered daily life and the future you pictured.
Identity or life transitions
A role, career, home, or familiar way of life has changed. Even a chosen change can involve real loss.
What never got to happen
You’re grieving a future, a relationship you hoped for, or experiences you expected your life to include.
You do not need to rank your loss against someone else’s. We can begin with your experience.
What happens in grief counseling?
Space for the loss.
Support for the life around it.
We start with what you’re carrying and what feels hardest now. I’ll ask questions, listen for what matters, and help us choose useful places to focus. You won’t be handed a timetable for getting over someone.
Say the honest thing
The thing you keep editing before you say it out loud. What you miss, resent, regret, or wish people understood. You do not have to make the story more comfortable for me.
Untangle guilt and “if only”
We can examine the questions your mind keeps replaying, make room for real regrets, and look at expectations you may be placing on yourself with the benefit of hindsight.
Plan for the hard moments
Lonely evenings. Anniversaries. A family gathering you’re dreading. We can explore grounding, boundaries, and practical support that fit you—not a generic instruction to relax.
Find the right support
We’ll consider what needs attention: the loss itself, trauma, relationship strain, anxiety, depression, or several things together. We can also discuss additional or specialized care when appropriate.
Make daily life more manageable
Asking for help, facing a decision, changing a routine, or figuring out what matters now. We can make the next step smaller without pretending the loss is small.
Remember in your own way
A story, a tradition, a song, or deciding what to do with belongings. We can explore what feels meaningful to you, with room for your beliefs and the relationship you actually had.
A little less guesswork
What getting started looks like
You don’t need a diagnosis, a rehearsed explanation, or a clear idea of what therapy should look like before you reach out.
Start with a conversation
A free 15-minute consultation gives us room to discuss what you need, answer practical questions, and consider whether we’re a good fit.
Tell me about your world
In the first session, we’ll talk about the loss, your daily life, and the support around you. You can tell me if something feels too much to discuss yet.
Choose what needs care
Together, we’ll set priorities and discuss a meeting rhythm. We’ll keep checking what is helping and what needs to change.
These are steps for beginning therapy—not stages your grief has to follow.
Because life rarely gives us one thing at a time
When loss overlaps with everything else
Grief + trauma
You may be missing someone while also struggling with what happened around their death. An image keeps returning. A reminder feels frightening. Certain places feel hard to face.
Not every loss is traumatic. When trauma is part of your experience, we can consider whether trauma-focused care, including EMDR, belongs in your treatment plan. We’ll talk about your needs and readiness first.
Grief + relationships
One person wants to talk. Another needs quiet. Someone offers a cheerful explanation when what you wanted was for them to sit beside you.
We can work on asking for support, setting boundaries, and making room for different responses to the same loss. If the relationship itself needs focused attention, we can discuss whether couples counseling is a better fit.
EMDR Therapist
Your therapist is a person, too
Hi, I’m Jill.
I’m a warm, direct therapist who is willing to stay in the conversation when it gets uncomfortable.
I work with adults navigating grief, trauma, relationships, and major life changes. I’ll listen carefully, ask questions, and help us figure out what could make a difference in your actual day-to-day life.
You don’t need to turn a difficult relationship into a perfect one because someone died. You don’t have to find the silver lining. And if you laugh while telling a story about them, we don’t have to treat that as a problem.
I’m also an EMDR therapist. If trauma is part of what you’re carrying, we can talk about how that fits into our work. Mostly, I want you to have somewhere you can be honest without managing everyone else’s reaction.
- Warm + direct
- Collaborative
- Practical support
The practical details
Grief therapy in Broad Ripple.
Online in Indiana + Florida.
My office at High Thrive Counseling is in Broad Ripple, Indianapolis. I welcome adults from Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Zionsville, Brownsburg, and surrounding communities.
High Thrive Counseling6229 Indianola Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46220
Get directions to our Broad Ripple office
For clients who prefer to meet from a private space at home, online grief counseling with Jill is available when you are located in Indiana or Florida. We can discuss whether online sessions fit your needs during the consultation.
Questions you may be carrying
Grief counseling FAQs
You’re allowed to have questions before you make an appointment. Here are a few places to start.
How do I know whether grief counseling is right for me?
You may want help with overwhelming moments, isolation, guilt, changed relationships, or simply somewhere to talk honestly. You don’t have to be in crisis or prove that you are struggling enough. A consultation can help us discuss what you need and whether this practice is a good fit.
Do I need to wait before starting grief counseling?
No required waiting period applies to asking for support. You can reach out soon after a loss, during a loved one’s illness, or much later. We’ll discuss what is happening now and the kind of support that may fit.
What if the loss happened years ago?
You can still bring it to therapy. A new loss, a milestone, a family change, or simply having more room to think can bring an earlier loss into focus. We can start with why it feels important to talk about now.
What if I’m not ready to talk about what happened?
Tell me that. We can begin with your day-to-day life, what feels difficult about talking, and what would help you feel more comfortable in therapy. You do not need to give me every detail in the first session.
Does everyone who grieves need therapy?
No. People may find enough support through friends, family, faith, community, or peer groups. Individual counseling is another option when you want dedicated support or help with concerns that are making life difficult.
Can grief counseling help if no one has died?
Yes, we can talk about loss connected with divorce, estrangement, serious illness, changing abilities, or a future that looks different from what you expected. Bereavement specifically relates to a death; grief can be part of other significant losses too.
How long does grief counseling take?
There is no preset number of sessions. We’ll discuss your goals, what support you already have, and how often it makes sense to meet. We’ll review how the work is going along the way. The aim is useful support, not putting your grief on a deadline.
Is grief after a year automatically prolonged grief disorder?
No. For adults, the DSM-5-TR diagnosis requires at least 12 months since a death, but time alone does not establish a diagnosis. Specific symptoms, distress or difficulty functioning, and cultural and social context also matter. Continuing to miss someone is not, by itself, a disorder—and you don’t need to wait a year to seek support.
How much are sessions, and can we meet online?
Jill’s individual sessions are one hour and $225. In-person appointments are in Broad Ripple, Indianapolis; online appointments are available for clients located in Indiana and Florida. High Thrive is out of network, and a superbill is available for possible insurance reimbursement. Review fees and insurance details.
What can I share with someone who wants to support me?
Our guide to understanding grief and knowing how to help can be a useful starting point. You’re welcome to share it instead of doing all the explaining yourself.
A little more support, when you want it
From the grief & life transitions blog
Something to read, something to share, or a song that helps you find the words. Take what feels useful today.
When Is Grief the Worst?
Why reminders, milestones, and ordinary days can feel unexpectedly difficult—and why a hard day isn’t the whole story.
Read about grief’s changing intensity →Grief Literacy
Understanding loss and knowing how to help. A resource for you—and for the people who care but don’t know what to say.
Read about understanding and support →Songs About Grief & Loss
A collection for remembering someone or making space for a feeling. Music is an option, not an assignment.
Explore the grief playlist →You can start here
You don’t have to know what you need before we talk.
Tell me a little about the loss, what has been hardest, or what you’re hoping for. We can figure out whether grief counseling with me feels like a good next step.
Schedule a Free 15-Minute Grief ConsultationAdults · Broad Ripple, Indianapolis · Online in Indiana + Florida