5 effective techniques for grief and counselling
Grief is hard to handle without the proper resources and people. There are a lot of people that go through grief from loss in their life. You are not alone and if you are experiencing grief due to a loss of some kind, grief and loss counseling can help.
You are not expected to stay quiet and deal with the pain yourself – it can help if you discuss your feelings and experiences with a good friend, family member, or with professional psychologists who will provide tools for coping, guidance through stages of bereavement, and peace during this difficult time.
Loss is a difficult emotion that people go through. Meeting with psychologists can help individuals process these emotions and work on issues such as:
- Anger, anxiety, sadness, guilt
- Social withdrawal from friends and family
- Poor concentration and memory loss
- Problems sleeping (feeling numb), emotional eating, or engaging in other self-harming behavior to cope with the pain of grief.
It’s normal to take some time to deal with your feelings.
Here are the 5 ways you can start your healing from grief.
1. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
Through CBT, you are guided into returning to life before grief and loss intervened. This type of therapy is extremely effective in helping return a sense of normalcy into your life and works well for many people.
2. Palliative Care
Palliative care provides the best possible care for individuals who have reached their end-of-life stage. This includes alleviating any pain or discomfort they might be feeling physically or mentally during this process.
One way psychologists can help you adjust emotionally through facing death head-on is by having conversations in a safe space. Calgary has some great resources for grief counseling and there are some wonderful therapies out there.
3. Art therapy is the exploration of emotions through creating art.
Through this sensory process, hope can be restored to your mind by attaching meaning to these experiences.
4. Play therapy is a common, effective way to help children process grief and loss.
Play can be therapeutic in adults as well… and what better vehicle than toys for expression? Through the use of games like Monopoly, Jenga, or even something more simple, it can do a lot to heal. Play can be a vehicle to open up communication in what may be an otherwise tough subject to bring up.
5. Mindfulness is all about taking control of your life.
Even though you may never be able to fully get rid of the grief and loss that hold you back, mindfulness will help you learn how to accept it so that these emotions no longer prevent us from living a full life in which you are not held back by your past experiences.
Some may even become depressed and anxious as coping methods for this complication in life due to these feelings compounding. Although some people are aware that there isn’t a chance for reversing someone’s passing, most people have a hard time believing that somebody they know can ever pass away.
Grief, loss, and depression can feel like they are overwhelming and consuming you at times. You don’t have to go through it alone. Our psychologists specialize in treating different types of mental health issues, such as those associated with grief.
We understand how difficult some situations may seem, but know that there is hope for the future ahead of you.
