At some point, we all go through grief. It’s an unfortunate part of being human. Whether from the loss of a family member, friend, or pet, or even from job loss or a big life change, grief is something we can’t avoid. Any experience where you feel as if something was taken away from you can invoke the grief response in the human body.
Almost everybody has heard of the “stages” of grief. While they certainly are stages, this naming implies that it is done within a certain order. In reality, the stages of grief are not linear. And just because you already went through the denial stage, for instance, does not mean it can’t happen again.
Grief counseling, no matter what the reason for it is, can be really helpful. If you are nervous about what this process might look like, I want to help ease your mind about what to expect.
Grief Counseling Explained
Grief counseling serves the purpose of helping anyone through a loss. While most people will go to a grief counselor for help after a death, it is useful for various other reasons as well. The grieving process can impact somebody’s quality of life. When it becomes so hard to deal with, it can affect work, relationships, and the ability to complete household duties or other responsibilities.
The Importance Of Grief Counseling
This type of counseling can help someone find a supportive environment that allows them to talk freely about what they are feeling and experiencing. Grief is a complicated human response that is hard to explain to someone else, even when you are going through it.
Talking with a therapist who understands the human mind from a scientific and human perspective can be beneficial. And, a lot of times, it’s also just easier to talk to an outside source who is there to listen to you, with no interjections of their pain or struggles.
Grief, in some capacity, will always be a permanent part of our lives. But counseling can help lessen its impact of it over time. It does not aim to take the pain away—nothing can ever truly take it away. But the goal is to help you manage the symptoms you feel so that your normal daily functioning skills will not be affected.
Grief Counseling Teaches You Healthy Coping Skills
Grief is unavoidable. When something or someone means so much to us, the sudden loss will always impact us profoundly and in ways that we don’t even understand fully. Whether that is guilt, denial, sadness, despair, or anger, grief counseling helps you uncover and unmask what you are feeling. When we lose something important, we often are able to clearly mark our lives with “before the loss” and “after the loss.” But we sometimes stay stuck in this in-between time after the loss and the “next chapter.”
The “next chapter” does not mean you will just move on or that your loved one will be forgotten. However, it does mean that you will be taught different ways to continue with your life in the best way possible. A therapist can help you honor and respect all three periods of your life when it comes to grief.
If you have been dealing with a loss that has impacted your life, I truly am sorry to hear this. It’s challenging to deal with and is a heartbreak that I wish none of us had to feel. If you are ready to learn about how I can help you during this period of your life, don’t hesitate to reach out to me for grief counseling.
