Anticipatory Grief & Ambiguous Loss Therapy in Austin and Online
Therapy For The Grief Of Watching A Loved One Slowly Become Someone You No Longer Recognize
You're slowly watching someone you love disappear in ways you can’t explain. You're grieving them while they're still here, and carrying all of the grief mostly alone. Book a free consultation below to talk to someone who understands what you're holding.
Watching A Loved One Fade Into Dementia Is A Grief The World Doesn't Have A Name For
Your loved one is still here…
But the person you knew is fading slowly.
The one who remembered your birthday without being reminded.
The one you called when something went wrong.
The one whose voice alone could make you feel like things were going to be okay.
Your friends ask how your loved one is doing…
But nobody asks how you're doing.
Because they're still alive, so you're supposed to be okay.
Every visit, you lose a little more of them…
And when you try to explain that you've been saying goodbye in slow motion for months, or maybe years, you can feel people searching for the exit.
So you've stopped explaining.
You drive home from the facility.
You sit in your driveway for a few minutes.
Then, you walk back into your life like everything is fine.
If this sounds like you, I can help.
I support people who have experienced significant loss or transition in their lives. You will benefit from working with me if you are going through one or more of the following;
This grief doesn't stay in the facility when you leave.
It's in the car on the drive home.
It's at the dinner table.
It's in the quiet moments when you suddenly remember who they used to be.
It touches your energy, your relationships, and your sense of who you are…
Because having a loved one who’s slowly turning into a person you don’t recognize anymore isn't just losing them.
It's losing the future you assumed you'd have with them.
And none of this is visible to the people around you.
Your loss doesn't have a funeral.
So it exists in a space most people don't have language for…
Which means you're often left to carry it alone, without anyone fully acknowledging what you're carrying.
Who is this for?
- You're watching someone you love fade into dementia
- Your loved one might only have a few years left, and the thought of that is slowly killing you
- You've tried support groups or talked to friends, but you still feel you’re carrying the grief alone
If one or more of these resonates with you, anticipatory grief and ambiguous loss therapy can help you feel less alone in the grief of watching a loved one fade away.
Why Is This Different From Other Kinds Of Therapy?
If your therapist hasn't sat with this specific grief before, you'll spend half your sessions explaining why you’re grieving someone who’s still alive.
On the other hand, this is a space built specifically for anticipatory grief and ambiguous loss, meaning…
You’ll speak with a therapist who knows exactly what you’re going through and will help you feel less alone in your grief.
Here's What Anticipatory Grief And Ambiguous Loss Therapy Gives You:
Permission to grieve. Not grief on a schedule, not grief that has to justify itself, not grief that gets smaller because someone reminds you your loved one is still alive. Real space to feel what you've been feeling for months without apology, explanation, or anyone waiting for you to be done.
Somewhere to put the things you can't say anywhere else. The exhaustion, resentment, and the days when you just want it to be over. In this room, that doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you someone who is finally being honest about what this is actually like.
The ability to be present with them again. When you're not spending every visit bracing yourself or grieving alone afterward, you'll find your way back to moments of deep connection.
More of yourself back in your everyday life. The grief stops leaking into everything. You'll show up to your relationships, your work, and your own life more fully.
See What People Are Saying About Texas Grief Therapy
If you are looking for a fellow traveler in our journeys who can provide you with support and guidance in your crucible stage, I would highly recommend Danielle for your consideration to solicit a professional personal perspective. She has changed my life in ways I never conceived the possibilities. I faithfully believe in an outcome where she can do the same for you if you are willing to accept the opportunity by challenging the self-limiting illogical fear to take a different path. Peace.
I’ve witnessed Danielle’s grief work firsthand through her work at the Christi Center and the care she brings to every interaction. She puts your nervous system at ease with her open, calm, and grounded presence, creating a nonjudgmental space where it feels safe to express honestly. Danielle is deeply compassionate, relatable, and knowledgeable, blending clinical skill with lived experience. I would wholeheartedly recommend her as a grief therapist to anyone seeking steady, thoughtful support through loss.
What is it like working with Texas Grief Therapy?
“If you are looking for a fellow traveler in our journeys who can provide you with support and guidance in your crucible stage, I would highly recommend Danielle for your consideration to solicit a professional personal perspective. She has changed my life in ways I never conceived the possibilities. I faithfully believe in an outcome where she can do the same for you if you are willing to accept the challenge and illogical fear to take a different path. Peace.”
Greg Verdict
Staff Manufacturing Engineer
Los Gatos, CA
“I’ve witnessed Danielle’s grief work firsthand through her work at the Christi Center and the care she brings to every interaction. She puts your nervous system at ease with her open, calm, and grounded presence, creating a nonjudgmental space where it feels safe to express honestly. Danielle is deeply compassionate, relatable, and knowledgeable, blending clinical skill with lived experience. I would wholeheartedly recommend her as a grief therapist to anyone seeking steady, thoughtful support through loss.”
Heather Stan, LMSW
Christi Center
Adjunct Professor at UT
Meet Your Therapist, Danielle Sarris
When you work with me, you're working with someone who understands that grief doesn't always look the way people expect it to.
I've lost close people…
And I've lost versions of my life I thought were permanent.
In the therapy room, I don't perform empathy. I have it.
I won't rush you toward acceptance.
I won't hand you coping strategies when what you need is someone who can actually be in the grief with you.
I won't minimize what you're carrying by reminding you they're still here.
What I offer is a secure and completely nonjudgmental base.
A space where you can say the things you haven't been able to say anywhere else.
I also bring body-based approaches into sessions when it helps, including EMDR, which can be especially powerful for the kind of grief that lives in the body.
By the time we finish our work…
You can carry your loss with support and without feeling overwhelmed.
Get Started In 3 Simple Steps
Click the button below and fill out the short form. Then I’ll reach out to schedule a quick therapy consultation.
We’ll have a 15-minute conversation to check that we are a good fit. If we are, we’ll schedule an appointment. If we aren’t, I’ll refer you to someone I know who can help you better.
We’ll schedule our first session, and you’ll finally be able to feel less alone in the grief of watching a loved one slowly become someone you no longer recognize.
Our first sessions focus on understanding your story and creating a sense of safety. After the initial sessions, you might notice you have more room to breathe, you feel less alone, and you begin to come up with language for what once felt overwhelming. Our work isn't about 'fixing,' it's about helping you carry what you're carrying with more support and clarity.
Get A Free 15-Minute Therapy Consultation Today
Anticipatory Grief And Ambiguous Loss Therapy Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if I need grief therapy?
Grief therapy can be helpful if you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or alone in your grief.
It can help you to know that what you are going through is normal and allow you to move forward when you’re ready.
Is this physical or online therapy?
I offer in person sessions in Austin, TX 78758. I will share the exact address during our consultation.
Alternatively, I also offer online therapy to individuals located throughout Texas.
Will I have to spend a lot of time explaining my situation before we get to the actual work?
Working with an anticipatory grief and ambiguous loss therapist means you won’t need to convince me that what you’re feeling is real, explain why this is hard, or justify why you’re grieving someone who hasn’t died.
We can start from where you actually are…
Which means the work begins much sooner than it might with a therapist who isn’t familiar with this specific kind of loss.
I've tried support groups, and they haven't really helped. How is this different?
Support groups tend to focus on the practical and logistical side of caregiving and grieving.
What they rarely focus on is the deeper emotional weight of what you’re carrying.
Therapy is different because the entire space is yours.
There’s no agenda.
It’s just you, what you’re carrying, and someone who can actually sit in it with you.
Is what I'm feeling grief, actually? My loved one is still alive.
Yes.
What you’re experiencing has a clinical name: Anticipatory grief and ambiguous loss…
And they’re recognized as one of the most emotionally complex forms of grief there is.
The reason it feels so disorienting is that our cultural idea of grief assumes a death…
But this grief doesn’t have that.
It lives in the incremental losses:
A forgotten name, a blank look, a personality that has quietly shifted…
Yet it’s just as real as other kinds of grief, and it deserves the same care and support.
I feel guilty for grieving someone who is still alive. Is something wrong with me?
Nothing is wrong with you.
Guilt is one of the most universal experiences among people going through this…
And it’s one of the least talked about.
You may feel guilty for grieving, guilty for sometimes wishing it was over, or guilty for not visiting more.
All of it is a normal response to an abnormal situation.
In therapy, we don’t ask you to resolve the guilt before we begin.
We work with all of it, exactly as it is.
Some days, I catch myself wishing it was just over. Does that make me a bad person?
No, it makes you a human being who is exhausted and has been carrying an enormous grief for a long time.
That thought, as uncomfortable as it is, is one of the most commonly reported experiences among people in your situation…
Yet, it’s one of the least talked about because of the shame around it.
It doesn’t mean you love your loved one any less.
It means you are tired, and grief-worn, and human.
In this space, there is nothing you can say that will change how you are received.
What happens during the therapy consultation?
On this short call, we’ll discuss whether we’re a good fit.
If we are, we’ll sort out all the details, like how often we’ll have sessions, when you’ll go to therapy, and how long each session will be, and so on.
If we aren’t a good fit, I’ll refer you to someone from my network who might be able to help you better.
Do you work nights and weekends?
Yes, I work weeknights until 7 pm and weekends.
During your free consultation, we’ll discuss what appointments are available to you.
Do you take insurance?
I’m currently in the process of credentialing with insurance panels through my clinical supervisor. I will update this page as plans become available.
For clients whose insurance I’m not able to bill directly, I offer services through a private-pay model.
You simply attend your session and pay at the time of service via cash or card.
Straightforward and paperwork-free.
If I’m unable to bill your insurance, I can provide a superbill (detailed receipt) that you may submit to your insurance company to request out-of-network reimbursement.
Because I am an LPC-Associate, reimbursement is not guaranteed and varies by plan, so I always recommend contacting your insurer in advance to understand your specific benefits.
I also keep a limited number of sliding-scale, lower-cost sessions available.
I never want cost to be the reason individuals cannot access therapy.
If finances are a concern, please feel free to reach out, and we can talk through options.
How do I schedule my free consultation with Danielle?
Simply click the “Get Started” button on this page.
Then I’ll reach out for a 15-minute conversation to check that we are a good fit.
If we are, we’ll schedule a therapy appointment.
If we aren’t, I’ll refer you to someone I know who can help you better.