Grief & Bereavement Counseling

Bereavement and grief are universal but our responses are not all the same. Bereavement refers to the period of grief and mourning after a death. Grief is a reaction for any form of loss and can include a combination of physical, emotional, social and cognitive responses.

The process of adapting to a loss can dramatically change from person to person, depending on his or her background, beliefs, relationship to the person who’s passed, and other factors.

Common symptoms of grief can be physical, emotional, social , spiritual or cognitive

You may find that you have an increase in physical complaints. Frequently when individuals are in the depths of their grief they neglect to take care of basic needs such as eating healthy and getting enough sleep. People report feeling physical pain thoughout their body including headaches, digestive concerns, tight muscles and heart ache.

In addition, you may experience feelings of sadness, anger, guilt, fear and even relief. You may feel all of the feelings at once or you may find that you are numb and feel nothing.

You may want to have time to yourself, or surround yourself with people because of fear of being alone.

Sometimes you may have difficulty with short term memory, or concentration. Learning is more difficult during this time as well as making decisions.

Spiritually you may grow stronger in your faith and will find comfort. Some people wrestle with previous belief's during this time. Others begin exploring different beliefs.

All of the symptoms described are normal, although painful, responses to grief.

Having a chance to share memories of your special person with an objective person brings some relief. Grief education helps you to better understand what you are experiencing.

If you are interested in grief counseling or education, contact me.