Grief & Loss

By Emma Dall, Taproot Therapy Clinical Trainee

When we think about grief, our minds often go to the loss of a loved one. We understand grief as something that follows death, something that asks us to adjust to the absence of someone who was once part of our everyday lives. But grief is not limited to death. We can grieve relationships that have changed, jobs we have lost, communities we have left, routines that no longer exist, or versions of ourselves and our lives that we once imagined would last.

Loss can take many forms, and sometimes the losses that affect us most deeply are the ones we do not always recognize as grief.

A relationship ending or changing can leave us grieving not only the person, but the future we imagined with them. A move can mean grieving a familiar community or sense of belonging. Losing a job can affect more than our finances—it can change our identity, routine, confidence, and sense of purpose. Even positive transitions, such as graduating, becoming a parent, or starting a new chapter, can involve grieving what we are leaving behind.

Because these experiences may not always be recognized as “grief,” it can be easy to question whether we are allowed to feel the way we do. We might tell ourselves that someone else has it worse, that we should be over it by now, or that our loss is not significant enough to warrant grief.

There is also a common idea that grief has a “right” way to look. We may expect ourselves to move through certain stages, feel certain emotions, or eventually reach a point where we are completely “over” our loss. But grief does not follow a universal timeline, and there is no single way it is supposed to look.

For some people, grief may feel overwhelming and all-consuming. For others, it may come in waves or show up unexpectedly—in a song, a familiar place, a birthday, or an ordinary moment that suddenly feels different. We may experience sadness, anger, guilt, relief, confusion, numbness, or even moments of joy. None of these experiences make our grief more or less valid.

Instead of asking, “Am I grieving the right way?” it can be more helpful to ask, “What does this loss mean to me?”

Grief is deeply personal because every loss carries its own meaning. What we are grieving is not always just what happened. Sometimes we are grieving what the loss represented: safety, connection, stability, identity, possibility, or a vision of the future.

Making space for grief can mean becoming curious about those meanings rather than judging ourselves for having them. It can also mean recognizing the ways our experiences and the stories we tell ourselves about them can shape how we move forward.

We do not always get to choose what happens to us, but we can begin to explore the stories we carry about what happened. A loss can become part of our story without having to define the entire story.

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Meet Jayden

This perspective on grief and loss is central to the work of Jayden, who we are excited to welcome to the Taproot team! Jayden works with teens, young adults, and adults navigating grief and loss alongside anxiety, depression, identity, interpersonal and family dynamics, trauma, and life transitions.

Jayden is particularly passionate about exploring the many forms that loss can take—including the losses that may not always have a name. Their approach is warm, collaborative, and grounded in the belief that healing can come through connection, self-understanding, and empowerment. They draw from approaches including Narrative Therapy, CBT, DBT, Creative Arts Expression, and somatic techniques to help clients explore their experiences and move toward meaningful change.

Jayden is originally from Southern Delaware and grew up by the beach. They enjoy drawing, painting, crocheting, dance, and theatre, and hope to adopt a dog or cat of their own someday. We look forward to sharing more of Jayden’s perspective and clinical work with our community.

Jayden's Taproot Therapy Page

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