Bereavement

Bereavement or mourning is a process not a state, which occurs after the loss of a loved one. Grief refers to the personal experience of the loss. Bereavement or loss can occur for many reasons. It can happen the death of a spouse, child, parent, sibling, close friend, or after a miscarriage. It can happen due to the loss of the expectation of how your life was going to be, through career loss, financial trouble, infertility, family, relationship or marital break-up.

According to Elisabeth Kubler-Ross the five stages of grief are:

1. Denial and isolation.
2. Anger.
3. Bargaining.
4. Depression.
5. Acceptance.

According to Worden (1982) after one sustains a loss there are certain tasks of mourning that must be worked through for balance to be re-established and for the process of mourning to be completed. These four tasks are the following:

1. To accept the reality of the loss.
2. To experience the pain of grief.
3. To adjust to an environment in which the deceased is missing.
4. To withdraw emotional energy from the deceased and reinvest it.

The overall goal of bereavement counselling when someone has died is to give the bereaved person time to talk about their loved one, to talk about their feelings of loss, to work in time towards a place of acceptance, and to help them to see that it is possible to continue on in life without forgetting their loved one, and knowing that they will always have a place in their life.

Popular posts from this blog

Signs and Symptoms of Depression

from www.beyondblue.org.au A person may be depressed if, for more than two weeks, he or she has felt sad, down or miserable most of the time or has lost interest or pleasure in usual activities, and has also experienced several of the signs and symptoms across at least three of the categories below. It’s important to note that everyone experiences some of these symptoms from time to time and it may not necessarily mean a person is depressed. Equally, not every person who is experiencing depression will have all of these symptoms. Behaviour not going out anymore not getting things done at work/school withdrawing from close family and friends relying on alcohol and sedatives not doing usual enjoyable activities unable to concentrate Feelings overwhelmed guilty irritable frustrated lacking in confidence unhappy indecisive disappointed miserable sad Thoughts 'I’m a failure.' 'It’s my fault.' 'Nothing good ever happens to me.' '
Read more

Telephone and Online Counselling

Scheduled telephone and video/online counselling sessions are available to provide appropriate and consistent care to anyone struggling with stress, anxiety, depression or any other concerns. Counselling can assist you in caring for your emotional and mental well-being and can help you to prepare for challenging situations and empower you to cope. It can provide reassurance and motivation to develop coping strategies that work for you. It can help you to identify and deal with unhelpful thought patterns and emotions and help you to stay grounded, lift your mood and help you to grow resilience and confidence. It provides access to supportive, ethical, safe, respectful professional and non judgemental support.
Read more

Developing a habit of Gratitude

Developing a Habit of Gratitude and Appreciation Bill O'Hanlon, www.billohanlon.com There are three types of appreciation: 1. Highlighting Gratitude to Oneself: Note to oneself things that one can be grateful for on a weekly basis 2. Savoring: Note to oneself or others what one appreciates aesthetically, like a beautiful sunset, a good meal, and so on 3. Expressing Gratitude to Others: Express appreciation to those people one values and is grateful to Noting to oneself the things one appreciates Some people do this daily, some people do it weekly, but developing a habit of gratitude and appreciation can be helpful. One could note the things one appreciates about the day or the week as a way to do this. One could also focus on the people one appreciates. One could also note the things that others are struggling with and use that as the basis for appreciation and gratitude. Things like hearing about or noticing that others don't have enough to eat, don't have a place to live
Read more