Navigating Grief During the Holidays: A Supervision Guide for Texas LPCs

As the holiday season approaches, many of us in the counseling profession brace ourselves for what can be one of the most emotionally complex times of the year for our clients. The twinkling lights and festive gatherings that bring joy to some can cast long shadows for those experiencing grief. As an LPC supervisor in Texas, I want to share some thoughts on supporting your supervisees as they navigate these delicate clinical situations.

Understanding Holiday Grief in the Therapy Room

Grief during the holidays isn't just about loss through death. Our clients may be grieving the loss of relationships, jobs, health, dreams, or the idealized family gatherings they never had. The cultural expectation to be joyful during this season can amplify feelings of isolation and sadness, creating what many refer to as the "holiday blues."

As supervisors, we need to help our LPC associates and provisionally licensed counselors recognize that grief assessment isn't a one-time checkbox but an ongoing process that requires renewed attention as we move past November and into December.

Key Assessment Considerations

When supervising counselors who are working with grieving clients during the holidays, encourage them to explore the following:

The Nature and Timeline of the Loss- First holidays after a significant loss are often the hardest. Help your supervisee understand where their client is in their grief journey and how the approaching holidays might trigger anticipatory anxiety or intensified symptoms.

Holiday-Specific Triggers- What specific traditions, songs, foods, or gatherings might be particularly painful? A client who lost a parent may dread the empty chair at Thanksgiving dinner. Someone going through divorce might struggle with splitting holiday time with children.

Support System Assessment- Who does the client have around them during this time? The holidays can highlight isolation, and we need to assess both the availability and quality of support networks.

Coping Mechanisms- How has the client managed difficult emotions in the past? Are they at risk for maladaptive coping strategies like substance use, overspending, or social withdrawal?

Suicidal Ideation We must directly assess for suicidal thoughts, especially since the holidays can intensify feelings of hopelessness for some clients. Don't let the festive season make you hesitant to ask the difficult questions.

Supervision Strategies for Supporting Your Supervisees

Create Space for Case Conceptualization Discussions

During your supervision sessions, dedicate time to discussing clients who are navigating grief. Use the supervision hour to help your supervisee think through:

• How grief is manifesting uniquely for each client

• What theoretical framework best informs their treatment approach

• How cultural factors influence the client's grief experience

• What boundaries and self-care the counselor needs when working with heavy grief cases

Consider using the empty chair technique during supervision itself. Have your supervisee role-play a conversation with their grieving client, which can reveal blind spots and increase empathy.

Review and Refine Treatment Planning

Work with your supervisee to develop holiday-specific treatment goals. This might include:

• Creating a "survival plan" for difficult days

• Identifying ways to honor the loss while still allowing moments of joy

• Practicing responses to well-meaning but painful questions from others

• Developing new traditions that acknowledge the loss

Help your supervisee balance validation of pain with gentle encouragement toward adaptive coping. It's not about "getting over it" but rather finding ways to carry the grief alongside living.

Teach Differential Assessment Skills

Use supervision to sharpen your supervisee's ability to distinguish between:

• Normal grief reactions and complicated grief

• Grief and major depressive disorder

• Anticipatory anxiety about the holidays and generalized anxiety disorder

• Cultural expressions of grief and pathology

This is an excellent opportunity to review the DSM-5-TR criteria for grief and depression and discuss when a referral for psychiatric evaluation might be warranted.

Model and Discuss Therapeutic Presence

Sitting with someone's grief, especially during a season when you're supposed to be merry, requires significant emotional stamina. In supervision, normalize the difficulty of this work. Share your own experiences (appropriately) of how you've managed the weight of others' pain during the holidays.

Discuss:

• How to be fully present without taking on the client's grief

• The difference between empathy and enmeshment

• When silence is more therapeutic than intervention

• How to manage your own emotional responses in session

Implement Grief-Informed Role-Plays

Practice specific scenarios your supervisee might encounter:

• A client breaking down when discussing holiday plans

• Navigating a session during a time when the client is particularly vulnerable

• Helping a client decide whether to attend a family gathering

• Addressing a client's guilt about experiencing moments of happiness

These role-plays build confidence and help your supervisee develop language that feels authentic and therapeutic.

Review Documentation Practices

Remind your supervisees about proper documentation when working with grieving clients, especially regarding:

• Risk assessment and safety planning

• Treatment plan updates that reflect holiday-related goals

• Progress notes that capture both the emotional content and interventions used

• Consultation and supervision discussions (which should be reflected in their notes and yours)

As we know, thorough documentation protects both the client and the counselor and you.

Encourage Proactive Outreach

Discuss with your supervisee the appropriateness of proactively reaching out to high-risk clients during the holidays. This might include:

• Scheduling extra sessions during particularly difficult weeks

• Sending a brief check-in text (within appropriate boundaries)

• Providing crisis resources before taking holiday time off

• Discussing the counselor's availability and backup coverage

Address Supervisee Self-Care

Your supervisees are also human beings who may be carrying their own grief or holiday stress. Create a supervision culture where it's safe to acknowledge this. Ask directly: "How are you doing as we move into the holidays? What do you need to stay grounded while holding space for others' pain?"

Consider implementing:

• Brief mindfulness exercises at the start of supervision

• Discussion of work-life boundaries during the holiday season

• Peer support groups among your supervisees

• Resources for their own therapy or support

Practical Interventions to Teach

Equip your supervisees with concrete tools they can use with grieving clients:

Memory Work: Help clients create meaningful rituals to honor their loss, such as lighting a candle, making the deceased's favorite recipe, or writing a letter.

Permission to Feel: Normalize the full range of emotions. It's okay to laugh at a holiday party and cry in the car on the way home.

Choice and Control: Empower clients to make intentional decisions about which traditions to keep, which to modify, and which to release.

"And" Statements: Teach the power of holding both truths: "I miss them AND I can still find moments of peace." "This is incredibly hard AND I am stronger than I knew."

Closing Thoughts

The holiday season will test our supervisees' clinical skills and emotional resilience. As supervisors, we have the privilege and responsibility of walking alongside them during this challenging time. By providing thoughtful, grief-informed supervision, we not only support their professional development but also ensure that grieving clients receive the compassionate, competent care they deserve.

Remember, the goal isn't to eliminate grief or manufacture holiday cheer. It's to help our clients and counselors navigate this tender season with authenticity, support, and hope that healing is possible, even when it feels impossibly far away.

As always, if you or your supervisees have questions about grief work or need additional support, please don't hesitate to reach out for consultation. We're all in this together.

...supervision matters!