When Grief Goes in Every Direction
Loss is an inevitable part of life. And yet, when it enters our world, we often feel at a loss. Whether it’s the death of a loved one, a divorce, a life-changing diagnosis, or the loss of dreams and expectations—loss tears holes in the soul and shakes the very ground beneath us. Such losses bring grief. Grief is always a response to loss. It is a misconception that we only grieve after death. Every major loss requires grieving. But how can you, as a grief professional, truly meet your client in this? The CIRCLE-method for grief support offers a clear model to help you stay steady in those vulnerable moments and genuinely connect with what your client needs.
Grief Is Unpredictable
As a grief professional or coach, you know how erratic and unpredictable grief can be. No two clients are the same, and no journey is linear. This makes grief support both complex and challenging. What helps today may no longer fit tomorrow. The CIRCLE-method for professionals helps you maintain perspective, offer direction, and keep adjusting to where your client is—without falling back on rigid protocols. It enables you to provide grief support that is both professional and deeply attuned.
What Is the CIRCLE-method?
The CIRCLE-method is not an artificial model you “teach” to someone. Instead, it reflects what grieving people naturally do—searching, stumbling, moving forward—often without being aware of it. For you as a professional, it provides structure: a clear framework that shows you where someone is in their journey and what might be helpful at that moment. It’s not a rigid step-by-step plan, but a dynamic whole that moves with the unpredictability of grief—human-centered, applicable, and at the same time solid enough to lean on. Even when a story feels stuck, this method enables you to help your client move again.
CIRCLE is an acronym for six components, each representing an essential aspect of grief:
- Centre the loss
- Insight into grief
- Reorganising life
- Connecting again to others
- Lead with self-worth
- Evolving with loss
Let me walk you briefly through these six parts, without unpacking the entire toolbox just yet (that’s what the training is for 😉).
A Methodology for Grief Support
Where many training programs get stuck in black-and-white thinking or rigidly holding on to one theory, the Academy for Loss takes a different path. The CIRCLE-method does not replace existing models but integrates them—rich, layered, and practical. As one participant, Elke, put it:
“At the Academy for Loss, it’s not about replacing old theories, but about weaving together and integrating knowledge. […] Grief is not a straight line but a constant back-and-forth. We circle, we sway, sometimes we stumble. But there is always movement. And that dynamic nature is what makes this training so powerful.”
It is precisely this “moving with what presents itself” that makes the CIRCLE-method so practical in real-life work.
The Six Components of the CIRCLE-method
🌀 C – Centre the loss
Facing the loss head-on. Not rushing to fix, but making room for sadness, disbelief, anger, and everything in between.
➡️ In the training, you’ll learn how to create this space in a safe and constructive way.
🌀 I – Insight into grief
Why did this happen? What has changed? And what does the new reality look like? Insight is essential for regaining a sense of control.
➡️ We’ll show you how to make psycho-education tangible and tailored to your client.
🌀 R – Reorganising life
From practical adjustments to emotional restructuring: loss forces reorganization.
➡️ You’ll learn how to support clients in regaining structure and taking realistic steps.
🌀 C – Connecting again to others
Forming new connections, holding onto old ones in new ways—whether with people, work, or memories.
➡️ You’ll discover how rituals, symbols, and communication can help anchor these connections.
🌀 E – Lead with self-worth
Loss shakes identity to the core. Who am I without what I’ve lost?
➡️ You’ll learn ways to guide clients in rediscovering and valuing themselves.
🌀 L – Evolving with loss
Loss is not “overcome” but integrated. A new reality emerges, with the loss becoming part of the life story.
➡️ You’ll support clients in their search for meaning—without imposing it.
Why Does the CIRCLE-method Work?
Because it allows space for complexity. Because it starts from connection—with the loss, with life, with oneself. And because it keeps asking: What does this unique person, in this unique moment, truly need?
As Elke also said:
“At the Academy for Loss, you don’t just learn to follow a theory blindly. You learn to sense which words and approaches resonate with each unique client.”
That is exactly what the CIRCLE-method represents.
Professional Guidance in Times of Loss
In the training “Guiding Adults Through Loss with the CIRCLE-method”, you will learn:
- How to use the CIRCLE-method as a dynamic compass
- Which interventions match each component, through the online therapy program Lutography
- How to guide people with confidence and professionalism during perhaps the most vulnerable moments of their lives
💬 “You can only move forward once you have arrived.”
The CIRCLE-method helps people arrive at their loss—so that from there, they can begin to move again.
Are you curious, and do you feel this approach might fit you and your practice? Feel free to reach out to me or take a look at the Academy for Loss.
The CIRCLE-method is not a way to “solve” grief (no such method exists). It is a way to guide people as they find their own path through it—without you as a professional being weighed down by the work.