What to Expect in Grief Counseling
Sure, grief has stages but that does not mean it is linear or that everyone experiences it in the same way. The waves of diverse, intense emotions come and go without warning — leaving us feeling helpless at times. Since death and loss are not topics our society discusses openly, we can feel like no one understands. No one gets what we’re experiencing. Where can we turn?
Grief counseling is an ideal way to seek understanding and acceptance in a time of mourning. Talking about your feelings in a time of bereavement can be soothing, validating, and healing. A therapy room is a safe space for processing emotions and finding resolution.
What is Grief?
We are blessed to experience love in our lives. When we suffer a loss related to that love, the pain feels amplified. Mourning is an intense and confusing time in anyone’s life. No two people will grieve in the same manner but all mourners will experience a mysterious and unpredictable process. They will endure psychological and physical distress. The emotions they experience can vary widely — from despair to guilt to anger to denial.
When grief becomes complicated, you may witness signs like:
Your sadness becomes overwhelming
An inability to manage daily functions, including self-care
Withdrawal from social interactions
Unexplained physical issues
Feeling fixated on the person you lost or doing everything you can to avoid reminders of their death
Intrusive thoughts and nightmares
Blaming yourself
Self-medication via substances or addictive behaviors
Thoughts of death and self-harm
Clearly, bereavement should not be viewed as something to figure out on your own.
What to Expect in Grief Counseling
Some folks prefer a group setting while others opt for more traditional one-on-one therapy sessions. Either way, your grief counselor will help guide you through important, healing steps like:
Feeling What You Need to Feel
In times of grief, you’ll get many mixed messages — from those around you and from yourself. It’s essential that you validate your feelings and give them a voice. Others may urge you to “move on” but the recovery timeline is yours alone. A grief counselor will help you be patient with yourself.
Creating Healthy Coping Mechanisms
You would not be the first grieving person to lean into counterproductive choices to numb the pain. In the presence of a mental health professional, you can discover ways to develop resilience without doing anything that harms you.
Reframing Your Identity
A tragic loss can dramatically alter your perception of yourself. For example, when an adult loses their parents, it can cause them to struggle with what it means to be someone’s child. A similar reality collapse can happen when you’re grieving about anything. Grief counseling is an ideal setting to mindfully move forward into a new chapter of your life.
Connecting With Others
This can take the form of leaning on the people you trust when you need them. If you want help, counseling can help you be comfortable asking for it. But also, how do you move forward when someone close to you is gone? Can you imagine creating new connections with new people? It’s not that you are “replacing” anyone but rather, recognizing that you can continue growing and evolving in a healthy, self-loving way.
Grief Counseling is Available Right Now
Your loss may be recent or it could be something that happened a while ago but you just can’t find ways to process it. There are no prerequisites for grief counseling. If you feel you need help, support, and guidance, you are free to ask for all of that — and more. An excellent way to get started is to arrange a free and confidential consultation. I’d love to talk with you one-on-one so we can both share more.