getting over a deceased significant other

Alright, I hope this is permissible (if it's not, please notify me and I'll certainly modify or delete this thread as necessary, I don't want to break any rules) but I want to ask a question that's not actually about me, it's about a character in a short story I'm writing. Understanding relationships and psychology in general is pretty important for fiction writing, I think, so I'm hoping to get some help with something I'm not too clear on. I'd like answers from certified counselors/psychologists, if at all possible, but of course, anyone who feels they have something to contribute is welcome to post. I'm writing a short story. In it, one of the characters struggles with the death of his only love, which happened ten years ago, but he still hasn't let go. His best friend is a woman who's crazy about him, and he feels the same way, but he's preoccupied with his old relationship, not wanting to tarnish her memory. The truth is that they had a good relationship while it lasted, but it was short, and may or may not have continued even if she survived (not because they were having problems, just because there's no way to know for sure if it would have worked out). In the story, he sees a counselor. He is stubborn, and does not want to let the counselor help him, but in the end, he reconciles his problems for the most part. My question is this: to make it realistic, what would an actual counselor say to him? Specifically, how would he/she word it, and how would he/she respond to his stubbornness, and ultimately help him open up and eventually let go of his old relationship?

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