Seeking out Grief Counseling

Seeking out grief counseling is important for you recovery after a loss. There are various reasons to seek out grief counseling and an individual should not be ashamed for wanting to feel better and move through their pain. A grief counselor, also known as, a therapist is a term most people feel comfortable using today. The grief counselor, or therapist, will not only be an ear to hear, but can also assist you in helping the recovery time shorter and assist you in getting through your pain. There is no time line for getting over a certain pain, but during this time of grief, the pain will eventually lessen.

The one thing every grieving person shares are the stages of grief. Even if an individual would like to skip over one of these stages of grief, more likely than not, they will have to go through all of them. These stages of grief are as follows:

• Denial- You don’t want to believe that it actually happened at this stage.
• Anger- Your angry that this person is out of your life. You don’t think that it’s fair.
• Bargaining- You wish it had been someone else. Even if that person was you.
• Depression- You find yourself sad and lonely.
• Acceptance- Your finally ready to move into accepting what has happened.

Grief Counseling

The pain of grief counseling can also disrupt your physical health, making it difficult to sleep, eat, or even think straight. These are normal reactions to loss—and the more significant the loss, the more intense your grief will be.
Coping with the loss of someone or something you love is one of life’s biggest challenges. You may associate grieving with the death of a loved one which is often the cause of the most intense type of grief, but any loss can cause grief  including:

• Divorce or relationship breakup
• Loss of health
• Losing a job
• Loss of financial stability
• A miscarriage
• Retirement
• Death of a pet
• Loss of a cherished dream
• A loved one’s serious illness
• Loss of a friendship
• Loss of safety after a trauma
• Selling the family home

As an individual begins the grieving process, they might not even see these stages of grief as necessary or see they are even going through these stages. On the other hand, with the guidance of a grief counselor, the griever will be able to see where they are on this timeline and what needs to be done in order to move on to the next grieving phase. When it comes to grieving, it might include, but is not limited to:

Death (natural or unexpected), loss of a career, change in home location, sadly ending a relationship, not being able to conceive, dealing with lack of income and much more. Basically any major life change can be seen as a time for many to grieve.

Grief counselors will, more likely than not, have their own office for meeting clients. If meeting in a client’s home or in a public setting is better, these are other venues to consider in order to make a client feel more comfortable and able to share more easily. Once the grieving client is in a comfortable setting, sharing about their pain will be much easier. Any pain, if not dealt with, can lead to physical health issues. This is not necessary with the guidance of a grief counselor wanting to help the hurting.

 

Grief Counseling And What Goes on In Therapy

In therapy at High Expectations Counseling we have experienced licensed mental health therapist that specialize in grief. Many have their own stories of loss and can relate. You will feel supported and understood. You will not be pushed to hurry along the process towards recovery. We understand that each clients process is unique to themselves.

Finally, as one walks through the grieving process, there will be days when a client is not able to get out of bed. They may not be able to function on a daily basis. Reasons attached to such grief might include having scary dreams, or nightmares, insomnia, anxiety, etc. It could also be the inability to face another person close to the griever. This is why being able to speak to a grief counselor, an individual not related to a griever, is the best avenue to go down as the grieving process begins.