Oscar Pistorius has been left a "broken man" by his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp's death and "flashbacks of the shooting will be mental images he always carries with him", a court has heard.
The double-amputee athlete is in court for sentencing - and could make a personal plea to the judge in an effort to avoid jail.
He was cleared of murdering the model, but was found guilty by Judge Thokozile Masipa of culpable homicide - the equivalent of manslaughter in the UK.
The sentencing process is likely to take a week, both the defence and prosecution teams told the court in Pretoria.
Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who is looking for a lengthy jail term for Pistorius, having failed to secure a murder conviction, said he would call two witnesses.
Pistorius' lawyer Barry Roux said he would call three witnesses, plus one from the correctional services department.
The first of these, psychologist Dr Lore Hartzenberg, told the court how Pistorius was referred to her for grief therapy.
She said he was traumatised by Ms Steenkamp's shooting, and the sessions sometimes had to be abandoned "due to retching".
Under cross-examination, Mr Nel asked her about the Steenkamp family, saying: "Haven't they suffered?"
She agreed: "I have no doubt they are a broken family."
Mr Nel said he will bring evidence that Ms Steenkamp's father Barry suffered a stroke because of his daughter's death.
Dr Hartzenberg said "Mr Pistorius' remorse was unabated during the therapy sessions" and concern for her parents was an "unremitting theme".
"I can confirm his remorse and pain to be genuine," she added. "We are left with a broken man who has lost everything: his love, his reputation, his career, his friends."
She said "flashbacks of the shooting will be mental images he always carries with him" and he is "unlikely to ever fully recover from the events that happened on 14 February 2013".
Pistorius shot Ms Steenkamp on Valentine's Day last year, but Judge Masipa concluded he had not intended to kill her.
He was negligent when he raced down the corridor towards his bathroom armed with a gun - then fired four bullets through the locked toilet door, she said.
But essentially she believed what he told the court - that his actions were a mistake.
Pistorius said he believed there was an intruder in his Pretoria home.
If he is sent to jail, the longest sentence Judge Masipa is expected to dish out would be 15 years.
But many believe Pistorius could avoid prison altogether with alternative forms of punishment including a suspended sentence or a fine.
Both the prosecution and Pistorius have the option to appeal once the trial is finally over.
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