Losing a loved one is one of the most difficult events in the human experience. Everyone goes through it at one time or another, but not everyone grieves the same. Some cling to anger, some to guilt, and others to feelings of loneliness and emptiness. These feelings are completely normal and should be confronted, but you shouldn’t spend all of your time living in pain. How do you find the balance between avoidance and pain? Grief counseling can help. Here is your guide to grief counseling, its benefits, and how to find a grief counselor to help you in San Diego, CA.
How Grief Counseling Helps
Though feelings of loss are normal, they can threaten to overwhelm you if you try to deal with them alone. Friends and family may not be able to understand, or they may be dealing with grief themselves. Sometimes you need an objective ear to listen.
An experienced grief counselor will do more than listen when you need to talk. They will encourage you to express your emotions when you don’t feel like talking.
What Will You Do in Grief Counseling?
Grief counseling sessions may be done one-on-one, with your family, or in a group with others who are going through the same thing.
Your grief counselor will help you identify the source of the emotion you are struggling with, be it anger, guilt, or pain. They will help treat symptoms of grief, which may include insomnia, change in appetite, weight gain or loss, fatigue, or confusion. They will help you process major life changes as a result of the loss and build a new support system. They will check for signs of depression and other mental disorders which may arise. The counselor may use the following activities to help accomplish these goals:
- Goal-setting exercises
- Writing a letter to the deceased
- Journaling
- Reading books about loss
- Creating a memory book
- Art therapy
- Role-playing
- Creating remembrance rituals
Contact a Grief Counselor
There are many methods you can use to deal with grief following the loss of a loved one. The best technique is to seek help from an experienced grief counselor. Jan Rakoff, LCSW, in San Diego, California, offers grief and loss therapy. She will help you deal with and overcome your painful feelings of loss with a care and compassion. Contact her today to start the process of healing.
