Grief Counseling
The goal of grief counseling is to provide you with a compassionate place to respect the sadness, mourn the loss, and learn new ways to move forward with the grief. We’ll work together to help you cope with the physical, emotional, social and spiritual changes that have occurred as a result of the loss.
Grief is a unique emotion that we all experience throughout our lifetime, but it often gets misunderstood and judged by those around us. Society has certain expectations for how much time you should take off work to grieve and what kind of grief “counts” as real. This can make the process feel isolating, despite being surrounded by family or friends who want to help.
Grieving is a complex and deeply personal process that looks different for everyone. each individual's response is unique, based on life experience and personality.
There is no “right’ way to grieve.
Different types of Grief
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while there is no “typical” or “appropriate” way to grieve, this refers to the grief process that can be somewhat predictable.
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When a person’s loss is not supported by others or society as a whole. (i.e, abortion, adoption, loss of a pet)
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This is that pit in the stomach feeling that occurs when you’re anticipating some type of loss. (loved one entering palliative or hospice care)
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The losses that occur as a result of the death of a loved one. (i.e, moving due to financial changes resulting from the original loss)
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Where the person grieving suppresses or “masks” their grief.
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Experiencing multiple losses occurring at one time, or before processing an earlier loss.
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when the reactions or emotions in response to the loss are postponed until a later time. (i.e, a parent who needs to remain a caregiver to younger children)
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Unresolved grief that may be due to experiencing complex trauma that has no clear closure.
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The grief response resulting from a traumatic event.
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When a community, society, or group all experience emotions related to a loss, many times caused by war, terrorism, natural disasters, pandemics, or the death of a celebrity
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When someone shows little to no signs of grieving such as crying, anger or missing the deceased
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Short-lived grief where the griever believes they should “move on” quickly. (i.e., someone remarrying shortly after the death of a long-term partner)
Prolonged Grief Disorder
After much consideration, as of March 2022, the American Psychiatric Association has officially added Prolonged Grief Disorder to its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5-TR).
Symptoms include:
Identity disruption (such as feeling as though part of oneself has died).
Marked sense of disbelief about the death.
Avoidance of reminders that the person is dead.
Intense emotional pain (such as anger, bitterness, sorrow) related to the death.
Difficulty with reintegration (such as problems engaging with friends, pursuing interests, planning for the future).
Emotional numbness (absence or marked reduction of emotional experience).
Feeling that life is meaningless.
Intense loneliness (feeling alone or detached from others).
In addition, the person’s bereavement lasts longer than might be expected based on social, cultural, or religious norms.