Grief and Loss Counseling

Loss and grief are inevitable at some time in everyone's life and at any age. From pets to close friends and family, from moving countries to changing schools, by death of a loved one or after community disaster. It is present getting married (no longer single) and in divorce (no longer married). The more significant the loss, the more intense the grief is likely to be.

Everyone experiences and expresses grief in their own way, often shaped by how their culture honors the process or not. It is not uncommon for a person to withdraw from their friends and family and feel helpless; some might be angry and want to take action. One can expect a wide range of emotion and behavior. In all places and cultures, the grieving person benefits from the support of others. Where that is lacking, counseling may provide an avenue for healthy resolution. Similarly, where the process of grieving is interrupted for example, by simultaneously having to deal with practical issues of survival or by being the strong one and holding a family together, it can remain unresolved and later resurface as an issue for counseling.

Grief counseling becomes necessary when a person is so disabled by their grief, overwhelmed by loss to the extent that their normal coping processes are disabled or shut down. Grief counseling facilitates: expression of emotion and thought about the loss, including sadness, anxiety, anger, loneliness, guilt, relief, isolation, confusion, or numbness. It includes thinking creatively about the challenges that follow loss, and coping with concurrent changes in their lives. Often people feel disorganized, tired, have trouble concentrating, sleep poorly and have vivid dreams, change in appetite. These too are addressed in counseling.

Grief counseling facilitates the process of resolution in the natural reactions to loss. It is appropriate for reaction to losses that occurred in the distant or recent past that have overwhelmed a person's coping ability.

When coping with the death of a loved one, it is normal to experience a range of intense, often overwhelming emotions. Although grieving generally occurs in emotional stages, research has shown that the stages differ for each individual and that there is no “right way” to grieve. People mourn in different ways, depending on personality, gender, life situation, circumstances of the loss, and support from others. Still, there are common emotional, behavioral, and physical reactions that people are likely to experience after a death. It is important to know that these emotional responses are a normal and natural reaction to the loss of someone who was loved. Grief reactions may include any of the following feelings:

• Shock and numbness
• Sadness and longing
• Physical symptoms
• Depression
• Fear and anxiety
• Guilt and self-reproach
• Feelings of lonliness and isolation
• Anger

If you have lost someone who is close to you, speaking with a counselor can help in getting through a very difficult time. We have several counselors trained in grief and loss counseling. Call us today.

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