Bereavement counsellor (A guide)

In this brief blog, we will be talking about the bereavement counsellor, the meaning of grief counselling, what happens in bereavement counselling, and more information about the bereavement counsellor.

What is the meaning of bereavement before grief?

Bereavement is that unexpected feeling you experience when a loved one is suddenly taken from you through death.

The experience of losing a loved one that has been a great person in your life can leave you feeling heartbroken and in constant grief.

Bereavement is about tolerating that loss has occurred and trying to adjust to life without the presence of that lost loved one who has always made a huge meaning in your life.

The signs and symptoms of bereavement, loss or grief

Bereavement, grief, and loss have various signs and symptoms and these expressions are felt differently by affected people.

After all, there are no rules in feeling what you really need to feel.

There are different types of loss that can cause bereavement in an affected person such as losing the pet that has become a huge part of your life.

The most typical signs and symptoms of this kind of feeling are the following:

• shock and emotional numbness – this is often the first response to a loss and people often talk about being in some trancelike state
• extreme sadness with lots of crying
• sleepless or fatigue
• aggression – towards the person you’ve lost or the cause for your loss
• remorse – for instance, guilt about feeling aggressive about something you said or did not say or not being able to prevent your loved one dying

These kinds of feelings may not happen all the time and sometimes, these emotions can appear at unexpected times such as when you are doing work.

It’s difficult to know if bereavement, grief or loss is what you are really going through since the manifestations tend to be different in susceptible people.

You can learn more about the feelings associated with bereavement by buying this book on this website.

What are the following stages of bereavement?

There are stages that people go through while in the state of bereavement since this is somewhat a way of dealing with a loss.

This kind of period will make people go through confusing and ambivalent emotions which make it more distressing for them. 

These kinds of emotions may change their intensities such as fading away or increasing in the period of bereavement.

You need to remember that not everyone will go through all the stages of this period because people are different in expressing their emotions but there are commonalities which are the following:

• accepting that your loss really occurred
• feeling the pain that is associated with grief
• attempting to adjust to life without the person who got lost
• exerting less emotional energy into your grief, finding a new area to put it and moving forward

Almost every grieving person will face these stages but not everyone can reach the last stages of bereavement.

For instance, some people get stuck on the first stage which only distresses their grief more and may cause dysfunction in their lives.

The meaning of grieving after a loss

Grieving is a stepping stone that everyone must take in the bereavement period.

Grieving tends to be structured through the common funeral procedures and death anniversaries that people go through to make the loved one’s death not a lost cause.

Grieving permits us to say our farewells to the lost loved one.

The looking at the dead body or the distribution of ashes from cremation allow us to acknowledge that the loss really occurred. 

In this case, this will serve as evidence that we need to accept to not go through the debilitating effects of grief if taken too long.

Be more comforted in your times of grief by buying this book on this website.

What is the purpose of bereavement counselling?

The purpose of bereavement counselling is to give you an environment to safely sob for the loss that you have experienced without the burden of being said that you should move on immediately.

This kind of period makes you feel ambivalent emotions toward the lost loved one which can make you confused and distorted without the proper support.

How can bereavement counselling help with grief and loss?

Bereavement counselling can help with grief and loss by giving you the time to acknowledge your thoughts and feelings surrounding the loss of a loved one which can help you understand what you need to do for your inner state without being fixated to the loss. 

The bereavement counsellor will guide you when you go through the several stages of grief and let you learn about strategies that you can apply to deal with the loss in healthy ways.

You can learn about going through your own grieving period by buying this book on this website.

Concerns that can be solved by bereavement counsellors

Here are the following problems that bereavement counselling can help to a person who is under the bereavement period.

• Death of a loved person
• Bereavement and Children
• Pregnancy loss such as miscarriage or abortion
• End of an intimate relationship
• Children leaving the birth home
• Pet loss and pet bereavement period
• Personal pain or sickness
• Redundancy
• Moving home

What happens in the course of bereavement counselling?

In the course of bereavement counselling, the client will be learning about the stages of grief and how to deal with each stage to move to the last stage which leads to moving on from the loss.

This kind of counselling can also help clients to cope with their distressing emotions during the grieving period.

If you’re familiar to the stages of grief, you may them in order as denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance and these kinds of stages are taken into account in bereavement counselling since most people have to go through these stages in the grieving period.

Some stages of grief may come first even when they are meant to be in the middle of the stages of grief such as bargaining when the loved one is about to die from a terminal illness.

In bereavement counselling, your goal is to reach the final stage of grief which is accepting the loss but not forgetting what was lost.

A counseling service center which uses the bereavement counselling method to help people in UK, overcome their grief and emotional stress is called Cruise Counseling.

You can learn more about the sessions in this kind of counselling by buying this book on this website.

How long does bereavement counselling take in each session?

Bereavement counselling can take as long as you like in each therapy session as long as you get your grief out of your system.

This kind of counselling understands that some clients want to take their time to get their sorrows out while other clients are impatient since they want this kind of counselling to be over with.

Benefits of bereavement counselling for affected clients

Here are the advantages of bereavement counselling for clients who are in need of guidance in their bereavement periods:

• Understand and persist in the stages of grieving
• Learn techniques for dealing with signs and symptoms of grief and loss
• Assist in resolving areas of conflict still remaining as you are coping with grief
• Get support to accept the reality of the loss and consider its importance
• Help you process through any disturbing pain, anger management or feelings of remorse
• Learn how to re-adjust to your new life with all its alterations
• Discover how you let go and move forward whilst respecting the loss you have encountered

You can learn more about getting through your grieving emotions by buying this book here.

Where do I get bereavement counselling in the UK?

You can get bereavement counselling in the UK by looking and selecting through the options below.

The availability of these kinds of services depending on where you are located in the country.

Some of these services may not offer bereavement counselling but bereavement therapy if you want the professional type of guidance.

You need to double-check these kinds of services to be sure of what you need to choose from them. 

Ask your general practitioner

If you feel the need to go through bereavement counselling, you can get yourself referred through your general practitioner.

General practitioners can also recommend you to a counselling service that you can benefit from your grief.

Cruse Bereavement Care

Cruse Bereavement Care is a charity that can offer bereavement counselling services for free.

You can appoint yourself to their sessions on their official websites. 

Through a hospice

Many hospices in the country are providing bereavement counselling services to grieving families.

This kind of counselling in a hospice can only be offered to families who have previously asked for medical services from the hospice.

The amount of bereavement support that a hospice can give will depend on the tools that are available for this support.

Through work

An employee assistance program can provide bereavement counselling sessions for grieving employees.

These services tend to be provided to employees for free. 

You can ask the Human Resources Department for details about the work’s employee assistance program.

Pay for a bereavement counsellor

You can also inquire about private counsellor who offer private bereavement counselling.

You can check out the directory on the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy for these counsellors. 

The expenses you need to pay for private bereavement counsellors can vary depending on the accommodations they can offer you.

You can find these counsellors in your area and they can guarantee you confidentiality in your counselling sessions.

Conclusion

In this brief blog, we have talked about the bereavement counsellor, the meaning of grief counselling, what happens in bereavement counselling, and more information about the bereavement counsellor.

If you have any questions about the bereavement counsellor, please let us know and the team will gladly answer your queries.

FAQs: Bereavement counsellor

Citations

CityTherapyRooms. Bereavement Counselling in London.

Counselling Directory. Bereavement. 

Harley Therapy. Bereavement Counselling for Grief & Loss.

KlearMinds. Bereavement Counselling for Loss and Grief.

Marie Curie. Bereavement counselling.

NHS. Grief after bereavement or loss.

The British CBT & Counselling Service. Bereavement Counselling & Grief Support Service.