Bereavement

Bereavement and grief are responses to loss. You may find it difficult to adjust to some of the immense changes that happen when you lose something or someone. A loss of something does not necessarily have to be a person who has died, it can be the loss of:

• A relationship that has ended
• A loss of a home or certain possessions such as in a fire, or flood or a burglary
• A loss of a limb or other part of your body
• A loss of something that you had included in your future plans and dreams

Bereavement is adjusting to your loss there is no time limit to how long you grieve and there is no right or wrong way to grieve. What we do know is that you will experience a wave of different emotions that will come and go out throughout your grieving process. If you do not go through this process then there can be a possibility that the grief can turn into something more serious such as depression.

Counselling whilst you are experiencing grief can offer support to talk through your loss, exploring your feelings and help you work towards coming to terms with your loss.

While they are traditionally centred on emotional responses, they also include physical, cognitive, behavioural and social elements. While bereavement and grief are used interchangeably, bereavement refers to the state of loss while grief is the reaction to that loss. Bereavement counselling can help the person going through the bereavement process to deal with the situation and come to an understanding of the situation.

Although some people are generally more comfortable talking to friends and family about their loss, many benefit from talking to a professional counsellor. Dealing with loss needn’t be or shouldn’t be a solitary experience – as a counsellor, I can help!