What You May Not Have Known About Bereavement and Grief but Probably Should
While the sadness felt due to losing a family member or close friend is difficult, it needn’t consume your life. And such a loss needn’t color your otherwise bright sunny days with dark gray and ominous-looking clouds either, say many bereavement and grief counselors across the U.S. For those not familiar with bereavement and grief counseling, it is a form of psychotherapy that aims to help individuals process and better cope with the emotions and full-on psychosomatic symptoms that usually stem from losing a loved one. Some of the most common ones include the following:
- Shock and numbness
- Guilt
- Anger
- Fatigue
- Overwhelming sadness
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Depression
Who Should Consider Bereavement and Grief Counseling?
Deciding whether or not to partake in bereavement and grief counseling, like any other form of psychotherapy, is a personal choice. After all, everyone processes and copes with the loss of a loved one differently. While some can cope with their emotions on their own, some might need a little help. And the individuals who might need such help can amount to many when you factor in the annual death rate in the U.S. According to an article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), an esteemed peer-reviewed medical journal, more than 3 million Americans died in 2020. And we can all reasonably conclude that many of the friends and family members of the deceased found themselves having to process and find ways to work through the grief they were feeling. That said, studies show that most people are willing to seek professional help when the loss of a loved one starts to impact their day-to-day life.
5 Signs That Might Suggest You Need Bereavement and Grief Counseling
When it comes to losing a loved one, the loss can be so profound that it can affect judgment to the extent that grief-stricken individuals don’t realize they are drowning in negative, harmful emotions. If this is something that resonates with you, here are five signs that might suggest you need bereavement and grief counseling:
1. Finding it exceedingly difficult to move on – While there is no set amount of time that an individual should mourn the loss of someone close to them, mourning that seemingly has no end might suggest it is time to seek help. According to most counselors, this would constitute extreme grieving that goes on for more than one year.
2. An inability to process the loss of a loved one at all – In contrast to those who find it difficult to move on, some people seemingly never process or come to terms with the fact that they have lost a close friend or family member. And this can be just as concerning and often points to the need for professional help.
3. Grief starts to interfere with your work-life – After losing a friend or family member, it can be a challenge to get back into the proverbial swing of things at work. And this is not uncommon; however, if someone’s grief is so severe that it takes a toll on their work performance to the extent they receive disciplinary warnings or get demoted, it would be a good idea to look into counseling.
4. Feeling chronically depressed – Most will agree that there is a considerable difference between a temporary low mood and full-on depression. That said, the latter often requires help from a bereavement and grief counselor to overcome, especially if those feelings of depression start to give way to self-harm or suicidal ideations.
5. Loss of something other than a friend or family member – While the thrust of this article has focused on the loss of human life, some people need help overcoming other sources of pain and sorrow. Studies show that, aside from the loss of a friend or family member, individuals will seek help from support groups or a counselor if any of the following results in them becoming grief-stricken:
- The loss of a beloved pet
- Divorce or separation
- Family trauma
- Job loss
- Losing one’s home due to financial reasons or a natural disaster
- Aging, illness, or disease
What Happens During a Counseling Session With a Bereavement and Grief Counselor?
If you have never been part of any support groups or have partaken in any form of counseling with a licensed therapist, doing either after losing someone near and dear to you can seem daunting. Some might even argue that professional counseling might seem like the more daunting of the two when compared to attending support groups where everyone is struggling with a similar loss and can lean on one another for support. That said, bereavement and grief counseling is a branch of psychotherapy discipline traditionally carried out by licensed psychologists or psychiatrists. However, in some support groups, individuals can take advantage of a less structured form of psychotherapy by talking through their feelings with other members. The benefit of counseling sessions with a psychologist or psychiatrist is that these professionals are well-versed in helping individuals overcome the five most common stages of grieving as per the Kübler-Ross grief model. These five stages are as follows:
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
It is worth noting that, in extreme cases, individuals who are working with a psychiatrist might be prescribed antidepressants or other medications to help elevate their mood. Indeed, everyone handles grief differently, and seeking help from a licensed mental health professional ensures you get access to a treatment modality that is right for you.
Bottom Line
All in all, whether you’re grieving the loss of a friend, family member, or the ending of a relationship that has run its course, bereavement and grief counseling can help you feel whole again. And many cases, counseling sessions for this form of psychotherapy are covered by insurance. With that in mind, if you or someone you know are experiencing any of the tell-tale signs of extreme grief, consider speaking with a mental health professional today.