PGD assessment, loss mapping, and meaning-making tools for grief-focused therapy
Grief clients often come to therapy knowing they feel terrible, but not understanding why. They might be stuck in rumination about the loss, struggling with guilt, disconnected from people and activities they once valued, or experiencing prolonged grief that's shifted into something more persistent. Worksheets help you map what's happening, assess severity (is this normal grief or prolonged grief?), and then build interventions that fit.
The worksheets featured here span assessment, narrative work, values reconnection, and meaning-making. They're built for multiple modalities—CBT addresses thoughts and behavioral withdrawal, ACT reconnects clients with values despite grief, and somatic approaches address the body-level experience of loss.
What was lost? How long ago? Is the grief moving or stuck? This worksheet maps the loss—who, when, how, and what the relationship meant. It also screens for prolonged grief symptoms: persistent longing, identity disruption, emotional pain, behavioral withdrawal, and rumination. This is your baseline for understanding whether grief is normative or requires specialized intervention.
Grief changes everything—identity, daily routines, relationships, purpose. This worksheet helps clients articulate what's shifted: "Before the loss, I was... Now I'm..." It's not about recovering who they were (that's impossible), but recognizing the extent of change. That awareness is the first step toward rebuilding.
Grief almost always carries guilt—things unsaid, moments missed, "should have" and "if only." This worksheet gives clients space to name the guilt and explore it: Is it proportional? Is there something to address or repair? Can they offer themselves compassion? It bridges guilt toward meaning or acceptance.
Grief needs witness. This worksheet invites clients to write or tell the story of the person they lost and their relationship: who they were, how they met, what they meant, how they changed the client's life. Over time, this narrative shifts from pure pain to a fuller picture that includes joy, learning, and connection. It's meaning-making in action.
The old framework said "let go and move on." Modern grief work recognizes continuing bonds: how the deceased person still shows up in the client's values, choices, and daily life. This worksheet explores: How do I carry their memory? What would they want me to do? How can I honor them by living well? It reframes the relationship from past to ongoing.
Grief often flattens values. "Nothing matters anyway," clients say. This worksheet helps rebuild: What still matters? What would the person I lost want for my life? What values do I want to carry forward? It's not about "getting over it"—it's about building a life that honors both the grief and the possibility of meaning.
Session 1-2: Use the Loss Assessment and Life Before/Life Now worksheets. Get the full grief picture. Establish whether this is normative grief or prolonged grief requiring specialized work.
Session 3-4: Introduce the Grief Narrative worksheet. Invite them to tell the story. Use the Guilt & Meaning-Making worksheet if guilt is prominent.
Session 5+: Layer in Continuing Bonds and Grief & Values Reorientation. Help them see how the person still lives through their choices and values.
The throughline: Assessment → acknowledge the reality of loss → meaning-making → reorientation toward living.
Download the free Grief Core Worksheet sample to start mapping loss with your next grieving client. Then upgrade to access the full library with CBT, ACT, and somatic variants — plus prolonged grief guides and our AI Treatment Plan Generator.
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