Counselling for grief involves talking about the loss and so enables the person to come to terms with the loss over time.

Grief can be caused by a number of upsetting events. In addition to the death of a loved one, events such as news of a fatal illness, marriage breakdown or loss of a job can bring on grief.

Grief counselling is about providing time to explore any issues or factors (both current or historical) that assist or hinder the process of adjustment that you will go through during the grieving process.

Grief is a most painful experience to go through. We suffer many small losses that help us to handle the large losses. When someone close to us has been ill for a long time, we experience great sorrow when the death finally occurs. But when death occurs suddenly then our life is thrown into turmoil and we can deny the death occuring and feel confused. Counsellors call this a complicated grief reaction and is brought about as we were not emotionally prepared for the death.

Grief counselling is usually conducted after a death in the family, but may also be helpful in grief-provoking situations such as death of a pet, a job loss, the diagnosis of a terminal , marriage breakdown or another reason. Grief counselling works to overcome the feelings of loss. Grief counselling can be undertaken either individually or in groups.

When a we lose someone close, we most likely receive much attention initially from close friends and family. But soon most people will move on after a few weeks, especially so when the loss is not so close to them. The grieving person however may not be ready to “move on”. In this situation counselling is most beneficial, especially if the death was unexpected. Counselling gives the grieving person a mechanism to continue to adjust to the loss and receive assistance that may not be available from friends, family or wider peronal network.

Counselling for grief is particularly important for those who may have had a strained relationship with the bereaved, socially a little isolated or previous to the loss had emotional issues.

Grief counsellors realise that grieving is a process that cannot be rushed. Counselling may also remind the person that the feelings or choices they make while grieving are quite normal and natural. The aims of grief counselling differ to counselling undertaken to change behaviour. Rather, the goal of the grief counsellor is to be “there” for the bereaved when they are most vulnerable. This is sometimes called compassioning by counsellors.

Often the grief counsellor assists the person by simply listening empathatically. Then guiding the person to find mechanisms to enable them to deal with the grief.

Suffering from grief and loss of loved one? Visit Stockport Counsellor. To find a Local Counselling Service.