Grief.
A small and seemingly simple, yet profound word. Grief counseling encompasses more than just discussing and processing through the loss of someone or something in death. Grief can be experienced in transition, change, or when things don’t go the way you thought they would or the way you wanted. Grief happens in many different ways throughout a lifetime, and it can be extremely helpful to navigate change and loss with the help of a mental health professional.
Why Is Grief Counseling Important?
Grief counseling can be helpful and something to consider when navigating loss, change, or transition. Grief doesn’t just happen when we lose people we love. Many changes in our lives set off the grief process, so it can be an important step to decide if counseling for grief is right for you.
Grief counseling can help individuals identify and understand what exactly is involved in the grief process. Learning what to expect can help normalize the experience and provide clarity and comfort in the midst of an otherwise confusing and difficult time
Grief counseling can provide validation for an individual’s emotions and their experience. There is no “right way” to grieve, and it can be deeply impactful to hear this and share in that experience with a counselor.
Grief counseling also allows for room to discuss and identify healthy coping strategies for grief and negative emotions.
Finding outlets to express emotions through words, physical exercise, art, and meditation can provide alternatives for an individual to express grief in different ways.
Is Grief Counseling Effective?
Grief counseling can be very effective in helping individuals process their difficult emotions that can be ever-changing in the grief process. Grief counseling allows a professional to come alongside you, meet you where you are in that process, and offer support in different ways. Again, as there is no “right way” to grieve, it helps to be in a non-judgmental space to work through the grief process. Grief counseling would be most effective if and when a person is ready to begin to express their internal emotions and experiences outwardly.
Benefits of Grief Counseling
When an individual is ready to begin counseling for grief, there can be many benefits.
Support: Grief counseling allows for an individual to not feel alone in their emotions or in the grief process. Having a counselor join in the space can be powerful, in that you are not alone, and your feelings are validated by another person.
A Place to Process: In grief counseling, you can talk ideas out, process through different parts of the grief process, and get ideas for coping strategies
Different perspectives or frameworks to work through loss, change, and transitions can provide further insights into how to move forward, such as the 5 Stages of Grief.
Health benefits: You may see improvements in your health and stress reduction by participating in therapy and/or coping strategies that benefit both mental and physical health.
Getting Connected: Grief support groups can also be a beneficial setting in order to both get the support of a mental health clinician as well as others who may be going through similar losses or transitions.
Should You See A Grief Counselor?
It can be difficult to identify when it may be helpful to seek out grief counseling or therapy to address grief as a core concept.
Here are some signs that it may be helpful to discuss grief further with a counselor or therapist:
Your grief becomes hard to manage in daily life: If you are finding it hard to complete activities of daily living (hygiene, eating, showing up for responsibilities such as work or events), talk to a grief counselor about how therapy can help you.
You’re experiencing a prolonged grief process: If you have continued grief for a long period (more than a year), without any progress or increased ability to manage daily life, you might have complicated grief, a mental health disorder that should be treated by a licensed professional.
You’re experiencing thoughts of self-harm: If you are having thoughts of self-harm, it is important you either connect with a hotline, or reach out to a mental health provider. Working closely with a support can help you find immediate access to services if they are needed
If you or someone you know is struggling with overwhelming distress or mental health challenges, free and confidential support is available 24/7 through the SAMHSA National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357.
Navigating loss or life after change and transitions can be difficult, so connecting with a counselor can be extremely beneficial. If you feel like counseling for grief could be beneficial for you, check out our available therapists through Lifebulb!