Everyone experiences grief in their lifetime. It can occur after a loved one dies, but it’s also common to grieve after you lose a job, or go through a major life change. Any experience that makes you feel like you’ve lost something important can cause grief.
Whether you’ve experienced it for yourself yet or not, you’ve probably heard of the “stages” of grief. While everyone deals with them differently, they’re there for a reason. Working through those stages makes it possible to eventually move forward with your life.
There’s no ideal timeline for the stages of grief. However, some people have a harder time getting through them than others. If you’re feeling “stuck” in your grief, counseling might be a good solution.
What Is Grief Counseling?
Grief counseling is specifically designed to help people cope with loss—typically, the loss of a loved one.
It can be useful for anyone struggling to get through the stages, but is especially effective for people who are dealing with grief that is reducing their quality of life. If you’re noticing it interferes with daily activities, causes problems in your relationships, or makes it difficult to move on with your life, counseling can help.
Why Is Counseling Important?
When you’re struggling to overcome the effects of grief, it can lead to other serious mental health issues, like guilt and depression. While counseling can’t take away the pain you might feel after losing someone, it’s meant to help you work through that pain in healthy, effective ways so you can move forward with your life, rather than feeling like you’re “stuck” in a vicious cycle of pain and guilt.
When you let grief overcome you, it can be challenging to break free. That “vicious cycle” that often leads to depression can cause everything from sleep troubles to problems with your work life and personal life.
How Does Grief Counseling Help?
The major goal of grief counseling is to help you cope with your loss in healthy ways. You’ll be able to express your emotions freely, address feelings of guilt, and eventually come to terms with the next chapter of your life.
Grief counselors use different techniques to help their clients. Still, perhaps the most important part of the process is forming a healthy, trusting relationship with your counselor, so you’re more willing to open up about your struggles.
From there, you’ll likely talk about your loss, including your life with the deceased loved one, if that’s what you’re grieving. You can expect to cover feelings of guilt and work through them and learn how to explore and begin to identify your experience. When you realize you don’t have to do any of that on your own, it can feel like a huge weight has been lifted, and you’ll likely be more open to moving forward knowing you have support.
Is Grief Counseling Right for You?
When you’re dealing with grief, having a support system is essential. However, it’s tempting for some people to close themselves off and avoid people who care about them and the hobbies they enjoy. Again, that can deteriorate your overall quality of life and lead to extreme feelings of depression.
If you’re having a hard time dealing with grief on your own and it’s affecting your life, grief counseling could be the solution. Not only will it serve as a small support system, but it can encourage you to lean on others and find healthy ways of coping that allow you to move forward.
Losing someone you love will always be painful. Counseling can help you find peace and joy in your life again, so you can remember your loved one without feeling suffocated by the loss. Contact Us if you’re interested in learning more or want to set up a complimentary consultation with one our skilled therapists.