Grief Counseling in Irvine, CA | CASA Therapy
At CASA Therapy, I know grief is not just sadness; it can feel like an earthquake that shakes your body, your relationships, and your sense of self. For first-gen Latinas, professionals of color, and multicultural couples, grief often carries hidden layers: cultural silence around death, pressure to stay strong for others, or the fear that honoring your loss means betraying your family’s resilience. Grief counseling offers a safe space to process, speak your truth, and slowly find your way back to yourself with care and compassion.
What is grief counseling?
Grief counseling is a therapeutic space designed to help you navigate the emotional, physical, and relational impact of loss. It’s not about “moving on” quickly or erasing the pain. It’s about learning to live with the loss in a way that feels bearable, honoring both your memories and your future. At CASA Therapy, grief counseling is trauma-informed and culturally rooted, meaning we make space for your family history, cultural expectations, and unique story of loss.
Most common challenges grief counseling addresses
- Feeling stuck in sadness, anger, or numbness
- Difficulty functioning at work or in daily responsibilities
- Strained relationships due to unspoken grief or cultural expectations of silence
- Guilt about how you’re grieving, or not grieving “enough”
- Physical symptoms of grief (fatigue, insomnia, tension)
- Struggling to find meaning after loss
- Fear of being overwhelmed if you let yourself truly feel the pain
How do I know if I need grief counseling?
Ask yourself:
- Do I feel like I’m carrying this loss alone, even when surrounded by others?
- Has grief begun to affect my work, relationships, or daily functioning?
- Do I feel pressure to “be strong” for my family instead of grieving openly?
- Am I stuck in cycles of guilt, regret, or anger that don’t seem to ease?
- Do I want to honor my loved one’s memory without losing myself in the process?
How do I approach grief counseling at CASA Therapy in Irvine, CA?
My approach combines emotionally focused therapy, grief-informed care, and cultural awareness. Together, we will:
- Create a safe space to name the emotions you may have been taught to silence
- Explore the cultural and generational patterns that shape your grief process
- Use grounding tools to regulate overwhelming emotions in your body
- Honor both the heartbreak and the hope, making room for love alongside loss
- Support you in rebuilding trust in yourself, your relationships, and your future
What topics can we talk about in grief counseling?
- Processing the pain of losing a loved one
- Navigating cultural or generational silence around grief
- Handling anniversaries, holidays, and triggering reminders
- Balancing caregiving roles while grieving yourself
- Exploring identity shifts after loss (who am I now without them?)
- Finding meaning and hope while honoring your memories
Steps to work with me
Hi, I'm Dama
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Grief Educator, and founder of CASA Therapy.
I'm trained in Emotion Focused Therapy for both couples and individuals. I firmly believe that love can be healing when both people are willing to do the work.
Step 1
A thorough intake session where we explore your relationship history, cultural backgrounds, and current struggles so we can understand the deeper patterns behind the disconnection.
Step 2
Emotionally focused sessions to help you with clarity, begin repairing trust, and rebuild emotional safety.
Step 3
Ongoing, guided sessions with personalized homework, where we break unhelpful cycles, strengthen connection, and practice healthier ways of relating so your relationship feels more like a true partnership.
I’m Dama Perez, founder of CASA Therapy. As a grief-informed therapist, I walk alongside individuals and couples of color who are navigating the heartbreak of loss. I know grief can feel isolating, especially when cultural expectations or family pressures make it harder to speak your pain. At CASA Therapy, I help you process loss with compassion, honor your story, and begin to move forward without erasing what you’ve loved.
Tips & resources for coping with grief
- Allow yourself to grieve in your own timeline, there is no “right” pace
- Create rituals or traditions to honor your loved one
- Journal or use creative expression to release emotions
- Lean on trusted community instead of carrying it alone
- Practice gentle routines (rest, nourishment, movement) to care for your body
- Seek therapy not to erase grief, but to learn how to live with it in a healthy way
Payment plans
$200 per 50-minute session, Couples
Each session includes:
- One 50-minute in person or virtual therapy session
- Occasional reflection prompts or homework assignments based on your goals as a way to deepen connection and continue the work between sessions when helpful.
You deserve support that feels steady and intentional.
FAQ
What kind of therapy is best for grief?
The best type of therapy for grief depends on your needs. Many people benefit from grief counseling for short-term support and coping tools, while others need grief therapy, which goes deeper into trauma, prolonged grief, or generational patterns. Approaches like Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), trauma-informed care, and narrative therapy are efficient.
What is the difference between grief counseling and grief therapy?
In reality, grief counseling and grief therapy mean the same thing; both describe professional support from a licensed mental health provider to help you navigate loss. Some people use counseling to describe shorter-term, supportive work, while therapy can sound like deeper, ongoing care. But whether you call it counseling or therapy, the goal is the same: creating a safe space to process grief, honor your loved one, and learn how to live with loss in a way that feels meaningful and sustainable.
What are the most common stages of grief?
Many people know the “five stages of grief” model: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These stages can be helpful as a framework, but grief is not linear. You may move back and forth between stages, skip some, or feel several at once. Other models include additional stages like shock or meaning-making.
Can grief counseling help with anticipatory grief (before a loss happens)?
Yes. Many people seek grief counseling when a loved one is facing a serious illness or end-of-life transition. At CASA Therapy, I help you prepare emotionally, process complex feelings, and find ways to be present while also caring for yourself.
How can I support a partner or family member while I'm grieving too?
Grief can create distance in relationships when everyone is hurting in different ways. In counseling, I help you balance your grief while supporting loved ones, learning how to share emotions, set boundaries, and lean on each other instead of drifting apart.
Good Faith Estimate (No Surprises Act)
This Good Faith Estimate shows the costs of services that are reasonably expected for the expected services to address your mental health care needs. The estimate is based on the information known to us when we did the estimate.
The Good Faith Estimate does not include any unknown or unexpected costs that may arise during treatment. You could be charged more if complications or special circumstances occur. If this happens, federal law allows you to dispute (appeal) the bill.
If you are billed for more than this Good Faith Estimate, you have the right to dispute the bill.
You may contact the contact listed above if billed charges are higher than the Good Faith Estimate. You can request an update to the bill to match the Good Faith Estimate, ask to negotiate the bill, or ask if there is financial assistance available.
You may also start a dispute resolution process with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). If you choose to use the dispute resolution process, you must start the dispute process within 120 calendar days (about 4 months) of the date on the original bill.
There is a $25 fee to use the dispute process. If the agency reviewing your dispute agrees with you, you will have to pay the price on this Good Faith Estimate. If the agency disagrees with you and agrees with the health care provider or facility, you will have to pay the higher amount.
To learn more and get a form to start the process, go to:
www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call CMS at 1-800-985-3059.
For questions or more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate or the dispute process, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call CMS at 1-800-985-3059 .
This Good Faith Estimate is not a contract. It does not obligate you to accept the services listed above.
