It is commonly assumed in this therapy-oriented world that nearly every grieving person can benefit from bereavement counseling or therapy. But both the experience of psychologists who provide bereavement services and a thorough review of the literature on the results of grief therapy suggest otherwise.

Rather, the findings suggest, a majority of people who suffer the loss of a loved one neither need nor benefit from participation in a bereavement group or from more formal grief therapy. These people experience what might be called a normal grief reaction, and the symptoms of it gradually diminish over 6 to 18 months.

''Feeling grief is the burden we face because we're capable of becoming attached and loving people,'' said Dr. Robert Hansson, a psychologist and student of grief at the University of Tulsa. ''It's a natural process. It hurts, but most people can work through it and go on.''

A major new ''Report on Bereavement and Grief Research'' prepared by the Center for the Advancement of Health concluded, ''A growing body of evidence indicates that interventions with adults who are not experiencing complicated grief cannot be regarded as beneficial in terms of diminishing grief-related symptoms.''