The basics
What is grief counseling and what does it help with?
Grief counseling is a form of individual therapy that focuses on the emotional, physical, and relational effects of loss. It helps you process death, the end of a relationship, a serious diagnosis, or any major life change that brings a sense of loss. Our clinicians use evidence-based approaches including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, and solution-focused therapy.
Grief is a normal human response to loss, not a disorder. Most people who lose someone they love will experience sadness, disrupted sleep, difficulty concentrating, and waves of emotion that feel overwhelming. Per the National Institute of Mental Health's guidance on grief and bereavement, most people adjust over time with the support of family, community, and sometimes short-term counseling. A smaller number experience what clinicians call prolonged grief disorder, where intense grief persists for more than a year and significantly interferes with daily functioning. Call us at 562-860-2891 to find out which clinician on our team is the best match for what you are going through.
How we work
How do I get started with grief counseling in Cerritos?
Getting started takes one phone call. Here is what happens after you reach us.
Call 562-860-2891
Our intake coordinator asks about your insurance, what you have been going through, and any cultural or language preferences you have.
We match you to a clinician
Saqib Iqbal, LCSW reviews the intake and matches you to the clinician on our team whose background fits best for grief and bereavement work.
Your first session
You meet your clinician in person at our Cerritos office or via telehealth. The first session focuses on understanding your loss, your history, and what you want from the process.
You stay in control
If the fit is not right, we move you to another clinician in the practice. Treatment length is based on your medical necessity. You are in charge of your treatment.
Why us
What makes Eye Cue different from a county mental health clinic for grief support?
A private-practice office at the 91 and 605 freeway junction in Cerritos. Quiet, professional, no metal detectors.
Matched, not just slotted
A multi-clinician team of 11 means you get matched to the right therapist for grief and bereavement, not just the next available slot.
Private-practice setting, Medi-Cal accepted
Eye Cue accepts Medi-Cal and many private insurance plans, including Anthem Medi-Cal, Blue Shield Promise Medi-Cal, Cigna, and Aetna.
Same therapist, in person or by video
Keep the same clinician for in-person and telehealth therapy sessions, so you do not start over if your life changes.
Therapy in six languages
Our team delivers therapy in Spanish, Farsi, Tagalog, Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi. You do not need a translator to grieve in your own words.
Open 7 days a week, 8 AM to 10 PM
Including weekends and evenings. Grief does not keep office hours, and neither do we.
Treatment length driven by your needs
Your sessions end when you and your clinician agree it is time, not when a session cap set by an insurance algorithm runs out.
Who it helps
Types of loss our clinicians work with
Grief counseling is not only for death. If your loss is not listed here, call us. The intake call is the best way to find out if we are the right fit.
Death of a loved one
Loss of a parent, spouse, child, sibling, or close friend. Grief after sudden death and anticipated loss each carry their own weight. See our trauma therapy page if the death was sudden or violent.
Relationship loss
Divorce, separation, or the end of a significant friendship. These losses often go unacknowledged socially, even when the pain is real.
Life transition loss
Retirement, an empty nest, a major career change, or leaving a country behind. Loss of identity and role is grief too.
Anticipatory grief
Grieving a loved one who is still living but facing a terminal diagnosis. Our clinicians work with both the person with the diagnosis and their family members.
Traumatic bereavement
Loss through suicide, overdose, accident, or violence. This kind of loss can overlap with trauma therapy and PTSD. If you are struggling after a traumatic death, our team can help you find the right treatment path.
Secondary losses
The losses that come with bereavement: a home, a social circle, financial security, or a sense of who you are. These often go unaddressed in standard grief support.
Coverage
Is grief counseling covered by Medi-Cal here?
Eye Cue Mental Health accepts Medi-Cal and many private insurance plans. Whether outpatient grief counseling is covered, and what you pay out of pocket, depends on your specific plan and medical necessity. We verify your benefits before your first session.
How is prolonged grief different from normal grief? Normal grief and prolonged grief share many of the same feelings but differ in duration and impact on daily life. Our clinical team, supervised by Saqib Iqbal, LCSW, makes that distinction during intake, and identifying that difference shapes the treatment plan. Call us with your insurance card and we will confirm your coverage on the call.
In-person, Cerritos CA
17215 Studebaker Rd., Suite #110, Cerritos, CA 90703. At the 91 and 605 freeway interchange, on the LA County and Orange County border.
Telehealth, statewide California
Clients in Long Beach, Lakewood, Norwalk, Bellflower, Artesia, La Mirada, Buena Park, Cypress, and Anaheim join by video. Anthem Medi-Cal, Blue Shield Promise Medi-Cal, Cigna, and Aetna contracts are not county-restricted, and we verify your plan before you start.
See location pages: Cerritos · Long Beach · Lakewood · Norwalk · Bellflower · Artesia · La Mirada · Buena Park · Cypress · Anaheim
In their words
What our clients say
A note from someone we worked with at our Cerritos office.
"This therapist has saved my life. Makes you feel great when you walk out of his office. Saqui will also give you tools to continue your treatment on your own time. Highly recommend him for people all ages."
Javier M.
Google Review, 5 stars
Individual results vary; this reflects one client's experience and is not a promise of outcome.
Eye Cue Mental Health at a glance: in practice since November 2017 · an 11-clinician team supervised by Saqib Iqbal, LCSW · roughly 70% of our caseload is Medi-Cal · sessions available 7 days a week, 8 AM to 10 PM.
Good questions
Frequently asked questions
Still unsure? Call 562-860-2891 and we will talk it through, no commitment.
For many people, time and community support are enough. Our clinicians are not in the business of convincing you that you need therapy if you do not. If your grief is disrupting your sleep, your relationships, or your ability to work after several months, that is a reasonable signal to get a professional opinion. Call us and describe what is happening; we will give you a direct answer about whether therapy makes sense.
We work with clients through insurance changes rather than terminating care the moment a plan shifts. If your new plan is one we hold a contract with, you stay with your current therapist. If we do not hold a contract with the new plan, we will help you figure out your options. My insurance changed and they just dropped me is exactly the situation we are trying to prevent.
Eye Cue Mental Health accepts Medi-Cal and many private insurance plans. Whether outpatient grief counseling is covered, and what you pay out of pocket, depends on your specific plan and medical necessity. We verify your benefits before your first session. Call us with your insurance card and we will confirm your coverage on the call.
You can switch. Our multi-clinician team exists precisely for this reason. If the fit is not right after your first session or two, we match you with another clinician in the practice. You do not start the intake process over.
Telehealth therapy can be as effective as in-person care for many people dealing with grief and bereavement. At Eye Cue Mental Health, you work with the same therapist whether you are in our Cerritos office or on a video call. You can also switch between in-person and telehealth without changing therapists. Learn more about how we structure telehealth therapy sessions.
Yes. Bereavement can increase the risk of depression, substance use, and in some cases suicidal thinking, especially after sudden or traumatic loss. If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also find mental health crisis resources on the NIMH website. Eye Cue is an outpatient practice; for acute psychiatric emergencies, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency room.
Get started
Ready to talk to someone about grief counseling in Cerritos?
Call us to speak with our intake team. We are open 7 days a week, 8 AM to 10 PM. Eye Cue accepts Medi-Cal and many private insurance plans, and we will check your coverage in the same call. In person at our Cerritos office or telehealth across California.
- 562-860-2891
- 17215 Studebaker Rd., Suite #110, Cerritos, CA 90703
- Open 7 days a week, 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM
If you are in crisis or having thoughts of self-harm, call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline any time. Eye Cue Mental Health is an outpatient practice, not a crisis center.
