Griefly Speaking: A Reflective Workbook to Understand How Grief and Loss Shape Your Life

Grief doesn't follow a timeline. Neither does this workbook.If you've ever felt like you were grieving "wrong" - too long, too intensely, or over a loss others didn't take seriously - Griefly Speaking was written for you.This compassionate, research-based workbook invites you into an honest, unhurried relationship with your grief. Whether you are navigating the death of someone you love, the end of a relationship, a diagnosis, the loss of a dream, a shift in identity, or any of the countless losses that quietly reshape a life. This workbook offers language, space, and guidance for what you are carrying.A New Framework for Understanding GriefAt the heart of Griefly Speaking is the Transcending Model of Grief and Loss (TMGL), developed by the authors through years of research and clinical practice. Rather than prescribing stages or timelines, the TMGL describes four shifting spaces of grief: Uncharted Territory, Initial Reaction, Lost/Adrift, and Transcending that reflect how loss transforms identity, meaning, and direction over time. These are not steps to complete. They are landscapes to understand.What You'll ExploreThe Loss Template: a personalized framework for understanding the unique factors shaping your griefThe Loss Line: a reflective tool for mapping your grief journey across timeGuided reflections and creative practices you can return to as your grief evolvesLanguage for grief that goes beyond death — including ambiguous loss, disenfranchised grief, and losses that others may not recognize or validateWhat This Workbook Is NotGriefly Speaking is not about getting over loss, fixing grief, or finding silver linings. It is about learning to live alongside grief - making room for sorrow and joy to coexist, honoring what matters most, and finding meaning in a life irrevocably changed by loss.About the AuthorsDrs. Sonya Lorelle and Katherine M. Atkins are counselor educators, researchers, and the co-developers of the Transcending Model of Grief and Loss. Their previous book, a professional textbook on grief counseling, established the TMGL as a framework for clinicians. Griefly Speaking brings that research and their own lived experience with loss directly to readers - because grief is universal, and everyone deserves a map. Read more