Counselling for parents, caregivers, siblings, grandparents, and others whose lives have changed after the death of a child. Appointments may be available in person in Edmonton and St. Albert, or virtually across Alberta. Clinicians include Registered Psychologists registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists working under supervision, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Master's level practicum students. Sessions are 50 minutes, in person or virtual. Practice is governed by Alberta privacy legislation and professional codes of ethics.

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You Might Be Wondering Whether Child Loss Counselling Is Right for You

You may be asking yourself whether it is too soon to talk to someone, or whether too much time has already passed for this to count as a reason to call. Some people worry that describing their child to a stranger will make the loss feel smaller, or more clinical, than it is. Others carry a quieter version of the same doubt: a sense that they should be further along by now, and that needing help says something unflattering about them.

You might recognise some of this. Getting through an entire workday, then sitting in the car outside your own house because going inside means the day is over. Being asked how many children you have and having no answer that feels true and manageable at the same time. Feeling furthest from the very people who are grieving the same child, because your grief and theirs do not run on the same schedule.

These are common responses to an enormous loss. They are not a sign of weakness, a failure to cope, or evidence that something is permanently wrong with you. People may experience and express loss in very different ways, and there is no required sequence for any of it.

If you are trying to work out whether talking to someone could be useful, reading on may help. This page describes what this kind of counselling involves, what it does not involve, what it costs, and how privacy works. You can decide from there.

Who We Help

This service may be a reasonable fit if you are:

• A parent or caregiver whose child died at any age, recently or years ago.
• A sibling of any age, including adult siblings whose loss happened in childhood.
• A grandparent, aunt, uncle, stepparent, foster parent, or another person close to the child.
• A partner or couple who are grieving the same child and finding it hard to reach each other.
• Someone whose grief has resurfaced around an anniversary, a birthday, a due date, a court process, a house move, or a new pregnancy.
• Someone gathering information on behalf of a person you care about, and trying to understand what you could offer them.

This service may not be the right fit in the following situations:

• Immediate safety concerns. If you or someone else is in danger right now, please use the crisis resources below rather than the booking system.
• Legal, forensic, or investigative needs. Counselling is not a legal service, an investigation, or a source of expert opinion for court. Those needs sit outside this service.
• Psychological assessment or formal testing. Assessments are a separate service at this clinic and are not included in counselling. If you need an assessment, that has to be arranged on its own terms.
• Medical or palliative care. Counselling does not replace care from your physician, a paediatric team, or a palliative care service.

If your loss involved pregnancy, stillbirth, or a preterm birth, you may also want to look at the pages on perinatal loss and loss of a preterm child.

If You Need Help Right Now

Wholesome Psychology is not an emergency or crisis service. Appointments are scheduled in advance and clinicians are not available between sessions for urgent situations. If you need immediate support, please use one of the following:

• 911 if there is immediate danger, or go to the nearest emergency department.
• Alberta Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741.

Using a crisis line does not commit you to anything afterward. You can call once, at three in the morning, and never call again.

What This Service Is

Child loss counselling is a confidential, consent-based conversation with a regulated clinician about what has changed since your child died. It can offer a private space to talk through what has changed, at your own pace. There is no script to follow and no requirement to arrive with a goal already formed.

The pace is set by you, not by the clinician. You decide what to talk about, how much detail to include, and what to leave alone. If a session goes somewhere you did not intend, you can say so and change direction.

Some things this service is not. It is not a legal or investigative process. It is not crisis intervention. It is not medical, palliative, or child protection work. It is not a psychological assessment, and nothing in counselling produces a diagnosis, a report, or formal testing results.

On terminology: the World Health Organization's international classification lists prolonged grief disorder among conditions specifically associated with stress (World Health Organization [WHO], n.d.). That listing exists so clinicians have shared language, not so that grief itself becomes a disorder. Grieving a child is not a mental illness, and nothing on this page is intended to suggest that you have one.

What you share is confidential, within limits set by Alberta law and professional ethics. The full explanation appears further down, and your clinician will go through it with you before you share anything personal.

Signs Grief After the Loss of a Child May Be Affecting You

People notice this in different places. Some of the following may be familiar, some may not, and the list is not a test to pass or fail.

• Sleep that has gone strange, either far too little or long stretches that do not restore anything.
• A body that reacts before you do, with a tight chest, nausea, or exhaustion that rest does not touch.
• Concentration that slips, so that reading, driving, or following a conversation takes visible effort.
• Avoiding places, dates, songs, or people connected to your child, or the opposite, needing to be near them constantly.
• Anger that arrives out of proportion to whatever triggered it.
• Guilt that circles the same few questions about what you did or did not do.
• Feeling separate from other people, including the ones grieving the same child.
• Difficulty with ordinary logistics, such as meals, appointments, paperwork, or replying to messages.
• Relief, numbness, or moments of ordinary enjoyment, followed by feeling you have betrayed something.

These are common reactions to a profound loss rather than defects in how you are handling it. Public health guidance in Canada treats loss and grief as an expected part of family experience that warrants support rather than correction (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], n.d.). Having several of these experiences does not mean something is permanently wrong, and structured support may make some of them easier to carry.

How Counselling Works Here

• Find your therapist. You can use the Match with a Therapist tool, read individual profiles on the Our Therapists page, or call the administrative team at 780-904-4880 and describe what you are looking for. Availability varies by clinician.
• Book your first session. Early sessions include a conversation about consent, confidentiality, and what you would like support with. Your clinician will explain the limits of confidentiality before you share anything personal. You are not expected to tell the whole story in the first hour.
• Build a plan together. Counselling is collaborative and guided by your priorities, preferences, and goals. What you want from it may change over time, and the plan can change with it.
• Ongoing sessions. If you continue, appointments are often weekly or bi-weekly, though timing can be discussed with your clinician. Sessions are 50 minutes. Frequency is a practical arrangement, not a clinical requirement.
• Check in on how it is going. Your clinician will review with you whether the work is useful and adjust it if not. You can raise this yourself at any point.

There is no fixed number of sessions. Some people come for a short period around a specific difficulty and stop. Others return months or years later. Both are ordinary uses of this service. More detail on the process is on the Getting Started with Therapy page.

Evidence and Approaches

An honest statement before the detail below. The evidence base assembled for this page does not contain usable outcome data for specific therapy models applied to child loss. Because of that, the approaches below are described in terms of what they involve, not in terms of results they produce. Where research is cited, it is cited for what it actually establishes.

Individual Grief-Focused Counselling

What it helps with: Having a private, unhurried place to talk about your child and about what has changed since they died.

Evidence summary: Loss and grief are recognised in Canadian public health guidance as areas where families may benefit from support (PHAC, n.d.). International classification places prolonged grief among stress-associated conditions, which supports careful language rather than any particular treatment (WHO, n.d.). No outcome evidence for this approach in child loss was supplied in the evidence pack for this page.

Limitations: Because no effectiveness research was available, no claim is made here that this approach reduces grief or improves outcomes. Individual responses vary considerably.

Couple and Family Sessions

What it helps with: Situations where people grieving the same child are finding it hard to reach each other, or where parenting surviving children has become harder.

Evidence summary: A child's death may affect parents, caregivers, siblings, and extended family members differently, and public health guidance on loss and grief is framed around families rather than individuals alone (PHAC, n.d.). Sessions may include what feels most important to you, such as relationships, daily routines, remembrance, or communication. No comparative evidence on family versus individual formats was supplied for this topic.

Limitations: Availability of family or couple sessions depends on clinician scope and schedule. No claim is made that this format works better than any other.

Remembrance and Meaning-Focused Work

What it helps with: Questions about how to keep your child present in your life, in your family, and in conversations with other people.

Evidence summary: Remembrance and communication are among the topics counselling may cover, presented as examples rather than as a standard protocol. Canadian public health material treats loss and grief as a legitimate focus for supportive care (PHAC, n.d.). The evidence pack for this page contains no trial or review data on remembrance-focused interventions.

Limitations: This is a description of what sessions may include, not an evidence-supported intervention with measured outcomes. What is meaningful varies by person, family, culture, and faith.

Support for Bereaved Children and Adolescents

What it helps with: Surviving siblings and other young people in the family who are grieving alongside adults.

Evidence summary: A systematic review of interventions for prolonged grief disorder in children and adolescents noted that treatment research has focused mainly on adults, and that consensus on best practices for younger populations is still lacking (Bondy & Scott, 2025). The review's authors also note that children and adolescents may experience grief differently from adults because of developmental differences.

Limitations: That review describes a gap in the research rather than establishing that any specific approach works. It does not support offering a particular treatment to a particular child.

What Results to Expect

No therapy guarantees outcomes, and this page does not promise any. Grief does not move in a straight line, and a difficult month after a settled one is not a sign that something has gone backward.

Some people notice that certain things become more manageable: sleeping, returning to work, being in the same room as a photograph, answering a question about their family. Others find that the value is simply having somewhere the loss can be spoken about without managing anyone else's reaction. Some people find counselling is not what they need, and stop.

Several things influence how this goes. The circumstances of the death, how much time has passed, what other pressures you are under, the support around you, and whether the working relationship with your clinician feels right. Fit matters more than most people expect. Changing clinician or changing approach is always an option, and asking for that is not a setback.

Deliberately, this page gives no expected number of sessions and no timeline. The evidence assembled for it does not support one, and prescribing a schedule for grief tends to make people feel they are doing it wrong.

Confidentiality and Privacy

What you share in counselling is confidential. Your clinician will explain confidentiality and its legal and ethical limits during informed consent, before you are asked to share anything personal.

Psychologists at this clinic are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP), which sets standards of practice and handles complaints. Practice is also guided by the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) Code of Ethics. Records and personal information are handled under Alberta's Health Information Act (HIA) and Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), which govern how health and personal information is collected, used, stored, and disclosed.

There are specific circumstances where a clinician may be legally required to share information without your consent:

• Where there is a risk of serious harm to you or to another person.
• Where there is reason to suspect that a child is being abused or neglected. Reporting is mandatory under Alberta law.
• Where a court orders disclosure of records or testimony.

These limits are narrow and your clinician will describe them in plain language in the first session. You are welcome to ask how records are stored, who can access them, how virtual sessions are secured, and what happens to your file if you stop attending. Asking those questions before disclosing anything is reasonable and common.

Common Questions

Do I have to describe what happened in detail?

No. You control what you say and when. Some people never give a full account of the death and work instead on what is happening now, such as sleep, relationships, returning to work, or how to answer questions from other people. If your clinician asks something you do not want to answer, you can say so and the session continues. Detailed recall is not a requirement for counselling to be useful.

Is what I share kept private?

Yes, within limits set by law and professional ethics. The narrow exceptions involve risk of serious harm, suspected abuse or neglect of a child, and court orders. Records are handled under Alberta's Health Information Act and Personal Information Protection Act. The confidentiality section above sets this out in full, and your clinician will go through it with you in the first session.

How many sessions will I need?

There is no fixed answer, and this page will not give you a number. Some people come for a short stretch around a specific difficulty. Others attend over a longer period, or return at intervals when something brings the loss forward again. Your clinician will review with you whether the work is helping, and you can stop or pause at any point.

What if the therapist is not the right fit?

Fit matters, and not every pairing works. You can tell your clinician directly, or contact the administrative team at 780-904-4880 and ask to be matched with someone else. No explanation is required. New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Can I access counselling online?

Yes. Virtual sessions are available across Alberta and follow the same confidentiality standards as in-person appointments. Some people prefer virtual sessions because they do not have to compose themselves for a drive home afterward. You can also switch between in-person and virtual as suits you.

Can my partner or another family member come with me?

This can often be arranged, though it depends on clinician scope and availability. Some people attend individually, some as a couple, and some do both at different points. If people in your family are grieving the same child in very different ways, that difference can itself be the focus of a session. Ask the administrative team when booking.

What is the difference between a psychologist and a counsellor here?

Registered Psychologists and Registered Provisional Psychologists are regulated by the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW). Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) are regulated by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). Mental Health Therapists and student therapists work at reduced rates, with students supervised throughout. Fees differ by credential type, and all of these clinicians work within the same confidentiality and ethical obligations described above.

Meet Your Clinicians

The team includes Registered Psychologists, Registered Provisional Psychologists, Registered Social Workers, Canadian Certified Counsellors, Mental Health Therapists, and Master's level practicum students. All psychologists are registered with the College of Alberta Psychologists (CAP). Registered Social Workers are regulated by the Alberta College of Social Workers (ACSW). Canadian Certified Counsellors (CCCs) are regulated by the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association (CCPA). Registered Provisional Psychologists practise under the supervision of a senior registered psychologist.

Many clinicians have training in grief, loss, bereavement, and trauma-related work with adults, children, and families. Specific experience varies by clinician, so it is worth reading profiles or asking the administrative team rather than assuming.

You can browse profiles on the Our Therapists page, use the Match with a Therapist tool, or call 780-904-4880 and describe what you are looking for.

Children and Youth

The clinic offers counselling for children, adolescents, and young adults, including siblings of a child who has died. Grief in young people often shows up in behaviour, school, sleep, or play rather than in conversation, and it can surface again at later developmental stages.

Clinicians working with younger clients use age-appropriate approaches and involve caregivers in supporting the child's environment at home and at school. Research on grief interventions for children and adolescents is less developed than research with adults, and consensus on best practices is still lacking (Bondy & Scott, 2025). Clinicians work with that uncertainty rather than around it.

If you are looking for support for a young person, the child and youth stress and trauma page may also be relevant.

Taking a Next Step

If you would like to arrange an appointment, or simply ask a question before deciding, here are the options:

• Book a session online
• Match with a therapist
• Call the administrative team: 780-904-4880
• Email: info@wholesomepsychology.ca
• Read more about the process on the Getting Started with Therapy page

New clients may access their first session at 50% off to help find the right therapeutic fit.

Starting the conversation is enough.

References

• Bondy, S., & Scott, H. (2025). Interventions for prolonged grief disorder in children and adolescents: A systematic review. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 18(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-024-00677-8
• Public Health Agency of Canada. (n.d.). Chapter 7: Loss and grief. Retrieved July 26, 2026, from https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/maternity-newborn-care-guidelines-chapter-7.html
• World Health Organization. (n.d.). ICD-11 for mortality and morbidity statistics.