Bereavement Counselling

About Bereavement Counselling

 For most of us, bereavement will be the most distressing experience we will ever face. Grief is what we feel when somebody we are close to dies. Everyone experiences grief differently and there is no ‘normal’ or ‘right’ way to grieve.

Bereavement counselling will benefit and is suitable for adults, children and adolescents. People of all ages and backgrounds will need help dealing with bereavement and your counsellor will be able to tailor the therapy specifically for the client.

Bereavement counselling can support you in your journey of understanding your feelings of loss and grief and can help you to develop better coping mechanisms.

Experts generally accept that there are four stages of bereavement:

• Accepting your loss is real
• Experiencing the pain of grief
• Adjusting to the life without the person who has passed
• Putting less emotional energy into grief and channeling this energy into something new

You are likely to go through all these stages but you won’t necessarily move smoothly from one step to the next. Grief can feel chaotic and out of control, guidance from a counsellor can help you to manage these feelings and eventually they will become less intense.

When to see a Bereavement Counsellor?

 You may need help if your emotions are so intense you feel you can’t go on, or if you can’t cope with your day-to-day life. For example, if you struggle to go to work, look after children or socialise with friends. If you’re experiencing these feelings, it’s important to seek some additional support.

It’s never too late after a loss to attend therapy, as everyone deals with grief differently and at different rates. Similarly, it will vary how many sessions you will need or desire. 

What to expect?

 Expect a supportive session with a professional and experienced counsellor. You will be given time and space to talk about your feelings, the person you have lost, affects the loss may have had on other relationships, work, fears and the future.

Expect discussion about how you can manage the effects of grief on your every day life.