Grieving someone who is still alive is a particular kind of pain. When you know a loss is coming, whether it's a terminal diagnosis, advancing illness, or a gradual decline, you may find yourself caught between wanting to be present and feeling overwhelmed by what's ahead. The grief is real even before the loss occurs, and it can be disorienting to feel it when there's no death yet to point to, no occasion that gives you permission to fall apart.
Therapy can give you somewhere to bring those feelings without having to manage how they land on the people around you. That might mean processing the grief itself, working through complicated emotions like fear, anger, guilt, or exhaustion, or finding ways to stay present with your loved one during this time without losing yourself in the process. Whatever you're carrying, you don't have to carry it alone.