How Exactly Is Bereavement Counseling Helpful?

How Exactly Is Bereavement Counseling Helpful?

Just by the name itself, we can get a good clue of what bereavement counseling is all about. But in a nutshell, its main purpose is to help a person deal with the loss of a loved one, which as many would know, is one of the most difficult challenges to face in life.

Usually, these sessions will be overseen by a grief counselor. This person is licensed and skilled enough to provide an avenue for discussing the necessary feelings and emotions that people go through during this hard time.

Now, if you want a little more information than just the basic definition, this article should provide that. So be sure to read on until the end.

Bereavement Counseling vs. Bereavement Therapy For the uninformed, it’s easy to interchange these two concepts. However, there are slight but noticeable differences. For one, counseling is more about coping with everyday issues and potential triggers. A good example would be helping someone deal with the loss of a close grandparent.

Therapy, however, is a bit more extensive. It requires sessions that may last for months, and in worst cases, may require the prescription of certain medications. To put it in perspective, an individual may need therapy if the death of the loved one has begun to prevent them from living a normal life, like appetite loss or deep depression.

How Bereavement Counseling is Helpful Now, let’s jump into our main topic. There are a few ways wherein bereavement counseling is beneficial for the grieving individual. Here are just some of them.

It draws the line between trauma and grief Grief is basically a person’s natural reaction to the death of a loved one.

While each individual will deal with it differently, everyone will go through its five stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.

But it then becomes traumatic when a specific event surrounding it has become very scarring and almost debilitating to deal with. A good example is having constant flashbacks of the moment the person found out about their loved one’s death. In this case, counseling will draw the line between these two and help deal with it appropriately.

It helps rebuild bonds between the living and deceased

The death of a person doesn’t automatically mean your relationship with them also ends. You can keep their presence alive through memories and moments you’ve shared together.

A bereavement counselor is there to help rebuild those bonds that were momentarily shaken by the other person’s death. They will provide actionable ways to keep that relationship alive.

It helps the grieving person process the loss better Denial is one stage that many people struggle to surpass. Many are unable to look back on their loss as if it was a normal part of life. As a result, they’re unable to look back on this monumental moment, which is a very important step to take.

Bereavement counseling is there to encourage the individual to face the loss head-on and move on to the next stages of grief. Ultimately, it helps them process their loved one’s death much better.

A Reliable Hospice Facility That Offers Bereavement Counseling If you or anyone you know are having a difficult time dealing with a loved one’s death, we at Arclight Hospice are here to help you out. We offer bereavement counseling for an entire year after the person’s death to make sure the grieving individual goes through each stage of grief as smoothly as possible. For more information, please call us at (213) 3701205.