Chronic Illness & Pain
Skills and Support Therapy Group
You're managing so much more than symptoms. This group is for the grief, the isolation, and the invisible weight that comes with living in a body that changed the rules on you. A 7-week virtual group offering connection, coping skills, and a path toward meaning for people living with chronic medical illness.
Mondays, 6:30 - 7:30 PM ET
May 4 - June 15, 2026
Held virtually $100/session
You Don't Have to Navigate This Alone
Living with a chronic illness changes everything — your body, your relationships, your sense of who you are. The grief, frustration, and isolation can feel just as overwhelming as the physical symptoms. And too often, the people around you don't fully understand what you're going through.
This group is a space where you will be understood. Over seven weeks, you'll join a small group of people who get it — and together, you'll build real skills for coping with the emotional weight of chronic illness while rediscovering what gives your life meaning.
This group may be right for you if:
You're living with a chronic medical condition and feel emotionally isolated
You've experienced grief over the loss of your health, independence, or the life you expected
You struggle with unhelpful thought patterns like catastrophizing, self-blame, or all-or-nothing thinking
You want practical tools for communication, self-advocacy, and setting boundaries with others
You're looking for connection with people who understand your experience firsthand
You want to find meaning and purpose alongside your illness, not in spite of it
Living With Chronic Illness: You're not making this up. And you're not alone.
You used to be the person who could handle everything. Now some days you can barely handle getting dressed — and the worst part isn't even the pain or the fatigue. It's that nobody around you seems to understand what this is actually like.
Maybe you've heard "but you don't look sick" so many times you've stopped talking about it. Maybe you've pulled away from friends because cancelling plans again felt worse than not making them at all. Maybe you lie awake wondering if this is just your life now — and then feel guilty for grieving something nobody else can see.
You're not being dramatic. You're dealing with something that changes everything — your body, your identity, your relationships, your sense of what your life was supposed to look like. And you deserve support that actually understands that.
This group is that support.
Need to talk about it first?
We’re here for you. Schedule a consultation.
How Grief Counselling Works at The Relationship Agency
What Grief Therapy Actually Looks Like
Grief counselling isn’t about “getting over” your loss. It’s about learning how to live alongside it — how to hold the pain and still build a life that feels meaningful. Our therapists don’t rush you through stages or hand you a worksheet. They sit with you in it.
In sessions, your therapist will help you:
Put words to what you’re feeling — including the messy, contradictory emotions like relief, anger, guilt, and love all at once
Process the specific kind of loss you’re carrying — whether it’s a death, a suicide, a divorce, a pregnancy loss, or an ambiguous loss that doesn’t have a clear name
Understand your grief patterns — why certain days hit harder, why you shut down or lash out, why you feel stuck
Reconnect with yourself and others — grief can make you withdraw from the people and things you care about, and therapy helps you find your way back
Figure out what “moving forward” looks like for you — not moving on, not forgetting, but creating a life that honours what you’ve lost while making room for what’s next
This Isn’t Just “Talking About Your Feelings”
Our therapists use approaches specifically designed for grief work — including Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotion-Focused Therapy, CBT, and mindfulness-based techniques. Depending on your needs, we may also incorporate trauma therapy or EMDR, especially if your loss was sudden, violent, or traumatic.
We don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach because grief isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your therapist will tailor the work to you — your loss, your history, your relationships, your life.
Why Families Across Durham Region Trust The Relationship Agency for Grief Counselling
We have therapists on our team who’ve worked in ICU settings, in the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID) program, and with families navigating pregnancy loss, suicide bereavement, and end-of-life care. They’re not strangers to death and loss — they’ve sat beside people in the hardest moments of their lives, and they bring that experience into every session.
Our grief counselling team includes therapists with specialized training in:
Death of a spouse, parent, child, or loved one
Loss by suicide and its unique, complicated grief
Divorce, separation, and relationship endings
Pregnancy and infant loss
Caregiver burnout and anticipatory grief
Supporting healthcare professionals and first responders through loss
Every therapist at The Relationship Agency is a Masters-level Registered Social Worker (OCSWSSW) or Registered Psychotherapist (CRPO). We’ve been recognized by Three Best Rated three years running (2024, 2025, and 2026) and are a Canada Choice Award Winner 2024 for therapists.
Our team is diverse — queer, Black, straight, male, female therapists — because we believe you should be able to work with someone who gets your experience, not just your diagnosis.
All of Your Questions About Grief Therapy
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There’s no minimum threshold for grief. If you’re hurting, that’s enough. We work with people grieving deaths, divorces, miscarriages, estrangements, job losses, and life transitions that didn’t go as planned. If it matters to you, it matters to us.
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Both are completely normal. Some people cry in every session. Some feel numb and wonder if something’s wrong with them. Your therapist won’t judge either response — they’ll help you understand what’s happening underneath and work with wherever you are.
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That depends on you, your loss, and what you’re working through. Some people come for a few months to process something specific. Others stay longer because grief touches so many parts of their life. We’ll check in with you regularly so you always feel like the work is purposeful
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Sessions are $175 for 50 minutes. Many extended health insurance plans in Ontario cover therapy with Registered Social Workers and Registered Psychotherapists. We provide receipts you can submit for reimbursement. Check your plan for your specific coverage
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You’re in the right place. We work with all kinds of loss — divorce, estrangement, miscarriage, job loss, loss of health, loss of a relationship, and the grief that comes from a life that didn’t turn out the way you expected. Grief is grief, and it all deserves care.
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Absolutely. We offer virtual grief counselling across all of Ontario, plus in-person sessions at our Ajax and Oshawa offices. Many clients find virtual sessions just as effective — and sometimes prefer them because they can be in their own space during emotional sessions.
You Don’t Have to Grieve Alone
Whatever you’ve lost — and however long ago you lost it — your grief is real, and it deserves real support. You don’t need to have it all figured out before you call. You don’t need to be in crisis. You just need to be ready to stop carrying it by yourself.
We offer a free 20-minute consultation where you can share what you’re going through, ask questions, and find out which of our grief therapists is the right fit for you. No pressure, no obligation.
We’ll match you with the right therapist within 24 hours — no waitlist, no hassle.
The Relationship Agency
Serving Ajax, Oshawa, Durham Region & All of Ontario
Virtual & In-Person Grief Counselling Available
Grief Counselling Locations:
In-Person Grief Counselling: Ajax • Oshawa • Pickering • Whitby
Virtual Grief Counselling Across Ontario: Toronto • Scarborough • Markham • Bowmanville • Courtice • Durham Region • Greater Toronto Area • All of Ontario
Grief Counselling Services:
Grief Counselling • Grief Therapy • Bereavement Counselling • Bereavement Therapy • Loss by Suicide Therapy • Divorce Grief Counselling • Pregnancy Loss Counselling • Caregiver Burnout Therapy • Grief Counsellor Ajax • Grief Therapist Oshawa • Virtual Grief Counselling Ontario • Grief Support Durham Region