Bereavement Counselling
Bereavement counselling is support from a professional counsellor who is trained and qualified to help with your feelings of grief. You can talk to them about the person who has died, about how their death is affecting you and how you are coping. Using counselling skills, the bereavement counsellor will help you to understand your feelings. And they can help you begin to adapt to life without the person who has died.
Bereavement counselling or therapy, also known as grief counselling, refers to therapy offered to those who have suffered the loss of a loved one and are going through the grieving process.
The process of grieving can involve a host of different emotions including sadness, anger, guilt, and regret, and it can be helpful to have a professional there with you through the stages of this process.
A bereavement therapist can help with things like adapting to life without your loved one, working through guilt about things you wish had gone differently, and sharing feelings that you otherwise might not have anyone with whom to share.
The process of grief can be a confusing time; the goal of bereavement therapy is to help you cope and make sense of it all. A bereavement therapist can help you to get in touch with your emotions and express them in a safe space. Having a therapist can be particularly helpful if you don’t have anyone to talk with or don’t feel comfortable expressing those feelings to friends or family.
A therapist can listen without offering advice and help you to feel as though your feelings are valid.
Accepting the Loss
If you are feeling disconnected or numb, bereavement therapy can help you to work towards accepting the reality of the loss of your loved one.
This process can be particularly important if you tend to shut off your emotions or deal with the situation by not thinking about it at all.
Working Through Trauma
If you witnessed your loved one’s death or there was some other traumatic aspect of the loss, bereavement counselling can help you to process the trauma.
During therapy, you would describe what you witnessed, discuss how it made you feel, and learn how to move forward with the support of your therapist. It can be helpful to process trauma in the presence of a therapist who can offer empathy and support.
Working Through Guilt
Guilt is a common feeling after the death of a loved one. This guilt may be marked by self-blame and regret, which can make coping with the loss more complicated.
If you have feelings of guilt about things that you should have done or how things could have gone differently, then a bereavement therapist can help you to work through these feelings.
A therapist could help you to see that living your best life is more important than holding onto guilt about things that you can’t change.
Dealing With Daily Life
If your daily life is in upheaval because you lost someone who was there with you every day, then a bereavement therapist can help you to reorganize your life and find new ways to function to address these issues.
For example, if your lost your spouse and it was your spouse who managed the budget or did all of the cooking or cleaning, then you will need to find a new way to get those things done. A therapist can help you to make these plans.
Building a Support System
A bereavement therapist can help you to build a support system by connecting you to community resources or support groups that will offer you support.
Building a support system is particularly important if you don't know where to turn for help or aren’t sure what support services are available to you.
Making Funeral Arrangements
If your loss is fairly recent, your bereavement therapist might also be able to help you think through the process of making funeral arrangements. Having support during this process can help make sure that your loved one is remembered in a way that feels right to you at a time when you might not be able to think clearly or make decisions easily.
If a loss is imminent, you might also have the opportunity to begin the therapy process prior to the actual death.
Checking for Depression
Grief can play a role in triggering the onset of depression. A bereavement therapist will also ask you questions to determine whether you might be living with potentially treatable symptoms of a depressive disorder.
