Although grief is an inevitable part of life, the loss of a loved one is always an unexpected and challenging situation to cope with, even when the loss is expected. Grief is a natural reaction to any form of loss, especially someone’s death. It goes beyond mere sadness and often evokes feelings of confusion, doubt, guilt, anger, and other complex emotions. Sometimes, normal thoughts and behaviors associated with grief may transform or combine into intense symptoms like anxiety, depression, eating problems, aggressive or self-destructive behaviors, and trouble sleeping. As time passes, most come to terms with their loss and learn to cope in their own ways. Others, however, struggle with grief for prolonged periods without improvement. This is known as complicated grief, and as a result, ones’ ability to carry on with daily activities can be severely disrupted.
Grief counseling, or bereavement counseling is not only for adults coping with loss. Grief counselors might focus on issues such as: individuals who lost a coworker; children coming to terms with the loss of a parent, a friend, or a pet; patients in hospice care; women or couples who are dealing with a loss of a pregnancy; and any other number of traumatic events. A grief counselor can help you develop methods and strategies for coping with your loss and grief. Grief counseling provides bereaved people with an avenue to discuss their feelings and emotions, helping them discover ways to ease the grieving process.
There’s no right way to grieve — everyone reacts to loss differently and grieves in their own way.
There’s also no normal duration for grief; it may take months or years to accept the loss of a loved one.
Nonetheless, most people can indeed recover from loss with the help of a great social support network and healthy coping mechanisms. Grief counseling provides the necessary support for those finding it hard to recover.
Apart from helping you cope with your loss; grief counseling lets you:
No matter how long it takes you to mourn a loss, grief counseling can help you navigate one of the most challenging experiences of life.
You are one step closer to finding that spark, or building the relationship that changes everything, start the conversation, and together we'll build a stronger more innovative you.