Addiction can ruin a person. Friends need to know when to step in and discuss a friend’s problem. This may not be easy and it may cause back lash. It may cause uneasy moments but finding a good time to discuss a potential problem is important. Please also review AIHCP’s Substance Abuse Counseling Certification
Friends usually have good senses of when something is going wrong with another friend. They share common goals, dreams and spare time. So it is easy for a friend to help another friend find alternative ways to have fun and also find help.
If a friend has a problem then they need intervention. Please also review AIHCP’s Substance Abuse Counseling Certification
The article, “When You Need to Talk About Addiction” by Elisabeth Millard looks at how a friend can help another friend with addiction. She states,
“Similar to the right place is the right tone. Confrontational language like, “You’re drinking too much,” can often fire up someone’s defenses. It’s likely you’ll already encounter an initial round of denial and pushback, such as: “Everyone drinks this much,” or “It’s not that bad,” so starting with a neutral tone is important, as well as offering a genuine expression of concern, Owsiany explains. Begin the conversation with what you’ve been seeing, so it comes from your perspective and use statements that reflect your point of view.”
Please also review AIHCP’s Substance Abuse Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional needs and goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Substance Abuse Counseling.
Road rage can become a deadly encounter for many. For many anger comes quick and when that anger affects the response behind a 2 ton vehicle with a simple brake or turn of the wheel, then drastic things can occur. Many are killed in accidents due to road rage. While driving or on the side of the road, fights and violent attacks can take place.. It is important to control anger behind the wheel and be considerate of other drivers. Anger has no place when driving. Anger Management can play a key role in helping individuals manage rage while driving.
Anger on the road can lead to fatal endings. Please also review AIHCP’s Anger Management Consulting Certification
It can take very little to offset someone into road rage. How one turns, lack of turn signal, or illicit use of the horn can reciprocate an angry response. It is important to be mindful of these things when driving and practice proper anger management skills.
The article, “Controlling Your Anger on the Roads” by Sarah Landrum looks closer at the dangers of road rage and how to avoid it. She discusses various ways one can better channel their anger while driving. She also lists how defensive driving can help put individuals in better situations so potential road rage does not emerge. Aggressive driving is a primary culprit in road rage. She states,
“Aggressive driving confrontations may unfortunately escalate to incidents of aggressive — or even deadly — attacks, and anyone can be the victim. Children, parents, school teachers, even celebrities — accounts of road rage fill the headlines daily and the victims span the spectrum. Of course, you can’t always control the acts of others. However, it’s important to monitor your own behavior. If you find yourself becoming frustrated by other drivers, it’s time to take a deep breath. Redirect your anger. Consider these tips for controlling your anger on the road.”
Controlling Your Anger on the Roads. Sarah Landrum. October 25th, 2016. PsychCentral
Commentary
Road rage can be defined as aggressive or violent behavior stemming from a driver’s frustration. This frustration can be caused by many things, such as heavy traffic, bad drivers, or stressful life events. When this frustration boils over, it can lead to angry outbursts and dangerous driving behaviors. Road rage is a serious problem because it puts everyone on the road at risk. There are four primary types of road rage: verbal aggression, physical aggression, vehicle aggression, and indicators of aggression. Verbal aggression includes yelling, swearing, or making obscene gestures. Physical aggression involves any type of physical contact, such as pushing, shoving, hitting, or kicking. Vehicle aggression encompasses any dangerous driving behaviors, such as tailgating, cutting off other drivers, or braking suddenly.
Road rage is a very real phenomenon in the United States. According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 66% of fatal car crashes involve some form of aggressive driving. This figure has been on the rise in recent years, and shows no signs of abating. it is generally accepted that road rage is more common in urban areas than rural areas. This is likely due to the increased traffic congestion and stress that is associated with living in a city. Additionally, road rage is more likely to occur during rush hour traffic or when drivers are running late.
Reasons for Road Rage
There are a number of reasons that can contribute to road rage. One reason is the anonymity of being in a car. When people are driving, they can be more aggressive because they feel anonymous and removed from the consequences of their actions. Another reason is stress. People who are already stressed out are more likely to lash out when something else happens that adds to their stress, such as another driver cutting them off in traffic. When people are already running late or feeling stressed, even a small delay can be enough to trigger an angry response.
Another reason for road rage is a sense of competition or territoriality on the road. Some people see driving as a test of skill and feel like they have to prove themselves every time they get behind the wheel.
Others feel the need to police the road and will attempt to correct or punish a driver who goes to fast, tries to pass or misuses a signal. Lack of proper road etiquette can set others off against each other. It is hence important to remember to follow the rules of the road, avoid competing, stop policing and mind one’s own business with good and safe defensive driving. No one knows what another drive is capable of or willing to do to another driver.
Anger Management and Road Rage
Anger management refers to the process of recognizing and regulating one’s emotions, in order to prevent them from boiling over into negative behaviours, such as road rage. Anger management prevents road rage by teaching people how to control their emotions. When people are angry, they may lash out and cause accidents. By learning how to control their anger, they can prevent road rage from happening.
Conclusion
Whatever may be bothering oneself, it is not worth road rage or the violence that can pursue it. It is important to avoid being a victim of road rage via good defensive driving but it is also equally important not to become the source of it through aggressive driving or verbal insults. Anger Management is key in preventing road rage and if someone has an anger issue, that person should then seek proper professional help to control one’ temper, especially while driving.
If you feel you have rage on the road, then please consider taking steps to prevent future road rage. Please also review AIHCP’s Anger Management Consulting Certification and see if it matches your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Anger Management.
Additional Resources
“What Causes Road Rage?”. Kaja Perina. June 10th, 2021. Psychology Today. Access here
“Road Rage: How To Deal With It”. DMV. Access here
“How to Manage Feelings of Road Rage”. Elizabeth Scott. January 19th, 2021. Verywellmind. Access here
“Measuring road rage: development of the Propensity for Angry Driving Scale”. Jason PDePasquale, et.al. Journal of Safety Research Volume 32, Issue 1, March 2001, Pages 1-16. Access here
An interesting debate within Christianity is if evolution has a place within the creation process of God. Was creation ex nihil or was it through a process designed by God. Creationism or Theistic evolution presents an interesting debate that looks at how Christians interpret Scripture literally and allegorically as well as the role of science and faith. The video below looks at the debate more in depth.
Please also review AIHCP’s Christian Counseling Training and see if it meets your academic and professional needs. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Christian Counseling.
When dealing with a terminally ill relative or friend, one awaits the fearful end. This type of dread is referred to as Anticipatory Grief. It sometimes can rob one of the present moment and prevent one from experiencing what is left. It is natural to cry and grieve over a prognosis that robs one of the future with a loved one but it is also important to help the loved one through the process and experience the grief together. Living in the present is so important to make good of what time is left. When this type of grief pushes one away from the present, or makes the terminally already dead, or keeps you from visiting the person, then it can become something very bad. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Program
When awaiting a loss it can become like loss itself. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification
The article, “Anticipatory Grief: How I’m Learning to Stop Grieving People Before They Die” by Neeha Maqsood looks closer at how one experiences grief as they await a loss. She states,
“I will always struggle with anticipatory grief until the real moment comes, but I know not to ruminate over experiences I cannot control. What I can control are my thoughts, and instead of feeling guilty over it, I tell my mind that it’s okay to feel frightened and isolated over these thoughts. But I will also try to tell it to live in the present as much as it can – to laugh, eat, argue, and care for my father, as much as he cared for me when I was young.”
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Grief Counseling.
With numerous police clashes with citizens it is becoming more apparent that there needs to better mental health crisis training. Mentally ill individuals need to be apprehended but de-escalation and better trained officers and first responders are essential to the safety of these individuals during arrest. Crisis Intervention and training is essential to prevent individuals who need medical help from receiving abuse from officers. Please also review AIHCP’s Crisis Intervention Certification
Crisis training is important during and after arrest in facilities for mentally ill. Please also review AIHCP’s Crisis Intervention Certification
The article, “How to Connect People in Crisis to the Care They Need” by Julie Wertheimer looks closer at the issue at hand. She looks at how better training and after care can help solve the nation’s biggest issues of police brutality as well as issues where mentally ill are left to roam the streets. She states,
“Meanwhile, county jails and other correctional facilities are ill-equipped to handle the treatment needs of people with behavioral health issues, and incarceration can exacerbate certain mental health disorders. Yet jails are often filled with people whose mental health needs could be better supported elsewhere. A study of Los Angeles County jails, for instance, determined that more than 60% of their population with mental illnesses likely could have been better served by community programs, as opposed to incarceration.”
Please also review AIHCP’s Crisis Intervention Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals looking for a four year certification in Crisis Intervention.
One of the most encouraging lines in Scripture assures that blessed are those who have not seen yet still believe. This response from Our Lord to St Thomas who refused to believe Christ had risen unless he saw the wounds of the cross and put his hand in the side of the Lord assured that those who still believe but without proof receive great blessings. With those great blessings those come great trials and tribulations. Some may even wish to have seen, like the apostles who witnessed Christ’s miracles, resurrection and ascension. With that belief came a even far greater obligation to the faith but those who have not seen but do not demand face their own trials of faith. Christian Counselors can help many through their faith questions and desolations and fears. Please aslo review AIHCP’s Christian Counseling Certification
Desolation
Unlike the empirical verification St Thomas received, believers today are left without verification. The faith is based on the stories of others found in Scripture. Faith is based upon the accounts of others and seen within Christian theology as a gift of the Holy Spirit which is fueled by grace. Faith is a voluntary choice to believe something that is beyond verification or seen. It is companioned in this world with the virtue of hope in that which is promised will come to pass.
Desolation of the soul is a painful time when the soul cannot feel God within . Please also review AIHCP’s Christian Counseling Certification
Still in many instances, challenges to faith and hope in what faith promises can envelop the most devout Christian. This period of desolation or testing can be the most terrifying moment for a Christian. Indeed St Teresa Avila speaks of desolation of faith. She promises that these desolations can make the soul become more dependent upon God and test, like Job, the soul’s commitment to God. Christian Counseling can also help those through desolation and despair.
Imperfect World of Design due to Sin
These desolations occur for a variety of reasons. For some it may because of a loss or death of a loved one. For others it may because a prayer was not answered. Others may call out why this world is so cruel and how a good God can permit the evils of this world. Others may find desolation due to the corrupt behavior of those who represent the Church or hold position of authority within the Church. Why is such evil permitted.
When humanity chooses sin over God, bad things occur. The human condition is a result of sin of the first parents. This brought these sufferings to the world. Yet, Christ, permitted Himself to serve as a suffering servant and example to His creation. God Himself, permitted Himself to suffer as Job, to not only redeem but to also teach.
Yet, where is God in nature. One can see examples of beauty in creation. One can see examples of Heaven in love in this broken world, but in this world, one still sees the reality of predation and prey, creation and destruction and unending cycles that design the universe. One could truly say God may have done better. Any pet owner would never put another pet with something that could harm the other pet. Yet one sees in nature since the epoch of time, creature devour creature for mere survival. The explosion of a star for the creation of others. Science and its observation shows a clear design but definitely a messy one. Many can question God, why such things occur. Prior to the discovery of the universe’s origins, St Augustine truly believed that the lion laid with the lamb. Evolution shows a different tale, where certain evolved tactics and designs within one creature makes one the predator and the other prey. While a neutral action in nature, why would this be permitted? How can a good God watch the lion devour the lamb? To question God over what is right or wrong or natural and evil may be a daring thing, but it is a rational thing. Faith may question such things, but it also concedes to the soul’s own ignorance. It realizes questions of evil, whether moral, or merely predation and destruction in nature, are questions that one day will be discovered in the next life. Not even science has all the answers. The worship of science over faith has caused a generation of atheists. One cannot be like St Thomas and demand verification to a Divine Being. Yet at the same time, one’s cry, if God is our Father, should receive something? Shouldn’t it?
Existential Cry
The existential cry to find God sometimes also goes unanswered. For many, the feelings of presence of God, which are only within oneself are not enough. One may begin to doubt the voice of God and confuse it with their own inner dialogue. Discernment, a long time process, may become loss in this type of desolation. One becomes no longer able to distinguish the inner voice of God with one’s own voice. In turn, instead of questioning one cannot hear God, they demand that God come to them. Many suffer desolation in solitude or lack of God’s touch in their life.
There are many Christian Counseling ways to discuss these pains but until one questions itself, one cannot truly feel the lost of identity and relationship with God until one feels the desolation itself.
How can a good God not come to one? “What have I done wrong?” Many may blame oneself, or blame one’s prayer, or see prayer as more contract as covenant. Like a child, the soul expects what it feels is best instead of what God wills. The will must comply to the Divine Will. It must not question self but instead conform self to the Divine. Like Christ did in the garden, one must be willing to put self to the side.
Still, does not a father come to his child in his or her deepest need? Why does not the Lord come to one? Does not a parent run to the child at night who screams from a nightmare? Where is God in this way? Why cannot He comfort?
These type of serious feelings can cause deep tension within the soul. The soul and its intellect tends to question. It begins to search for answers. These wanderings are in themselves not bad. For one should question all forms of reality. God has given one a mind to question things and one should question but when questions dominate faith it can become toxic. In this type of desolation, the soul experiences a far deeper existential crisis. It becomes more like Thomas. It seeks verification and answers to questions that cannot be answered in this world.
The soul may begin to question Christianity, it may even question Theism. It may entertain thoughts of Existentialism and seek to fulfill its needs through its own cries. “Why cannot my Lord come to me, and command me and tell me what to do?” This is a haunting statement. As history has shown, God can through dreams, angels, and even Divine intervention, slice through the walls of reality, but rarely is this seen in everyday life. Instead, one is left with clues and discernment and guidance. I think, many of us, would prefer a more divine proclamation rather than think, analyze and sometimes doubt, but for whatever reason, if our faith exists, we must let go of the intellect and the “whys” and commit to what faith demands. No route in this world, even the explanation of the universe, will ever be truly known. As children, we must accept the reality of doubt, lack of answers, and fear, and hold onto what has been handed down and with faith companioned by hope, choose to believe and allow grace to heal.
The atheist existentialist will challenge one to let go of the comfortable feeling that someone is out there and to embrace oneself and make one’s own road, but those words are eerily similar to the temptations of the serpent. When God’s presence is not felt, it is for a reason to become stronger or a call of focus on ourselves to be better. It is not a call to look for other answers.
Faith During Desolation
During desolation, faith can be strengthened or weakened but a seed of faith grown in solid ground can never die. One’s faith will find itself again in certain feelings, senses, or places. It will find itself in family and identify, and most importantly it will mourn God’s absence.
More saintly may find existential terror in prayer life only, while others may stop prayer temporarily. They may stay away from God because it hurts the soul to talk to him. They desire what heaven offers while on earth. They do not understand the love that would consume them and distract them from their earthly mission. So some may take a time out. Others may become spiritually slothful and maybe, to Satan’s delight, partake in secular plans. Faith, however, that is secure is always secure. The soul will find its way back to God that has the virtue of faith. Little things will bring it back through prayers of others.
The examples of the martyrs, saints and Christ Himself, detail to one the difficult road of desolation during faith but on how to put aside doubt and one’s own will but to give to God.
In this dark time, one can turn to Scripture, the writings of the saints and a Christian Counselor or a Spiritual Mentor or Advisor. Sometimes, these same familiar comforts may not immediately answer questions, but they can become a bedrock to prevent farther fall from faith. One in faith can then in prayer call upon God not to leave oneself even though one is in doubt.
One must also be careful of the insidious trap of the evil one. While desolation can bring one closer to God by understanding how much the soul needs God, it can also be a device when used in temptation to tear the soul away from God. Satan can challenge one’s notions of God and through this doubt make one question God’s love and kindness. This can lead to anger towards God or misconceptions about God’s love. This attempted wedge by Satan between the soul and God can lead to further alienation. One must always remain vigilante in the role the demons play in weakening faith and how they look to accomplish it for a particular person.
Faith of Thomas or Job
Will our faith be of Job or demand verification like Thomas? Please also review AIHCP’s Christian Counseling Certification
We must choose to either demand verification in our faith or be more like Job. Is Job’s faith an affront to reason? If we continue to question, we are being human. I do not think questioning and trying to understand certain things are wrong, but when it becomes an obsession and weakens prayer life and faith, then it can become an issue. These doubts can turn a desolation.
Job’s faith is one of obedience, patience and discernment. It understands the inner workings of God in this fallen world and the pain of loss. It is a faith that is unshakable, but even Job asked why. It is important if one has a good relationship with God to be able to ask why. While God is the most terrifying and powerful Deity, He has told us, He is also a Father in love with His children to the point of giving everything up. With that knowledge, we know we can ask why. We know we can become upset. We know we can cry out.
St Augustine tells one to believe so that one may understand. This may seem backwards, but it opens one to God with meekness and honesty. It puts confidence in God and believes that all will be answered. St Augustine Himself could never comprehend the mystery of the Trinity but never allowed intellectual hubris to prevent his faith from failing.
The faith of Job is what is needed in a fallen world. St Thomas was given a rare gift, but was admonished-and still while the apostles had faith, they had already seen. Through that sight, their allegiance to Christ demanded far more. Job’s faith is a more perfect faith. A faith not based on sight but belief. No belief will ever make total sense. No belief will ever be empirically proven or disproven. No belief will be placed over other beliefs in this world.
Faith, however, in Christ, will be rewarded for those who offer to conform their will to God. That is the power of faith, to quiet the intellect, to accept without proof and proceed in hope. As Peter sunk when he took his eyes off Jesus, we must keep our eyes on God, so that we do not sink in the ocean of the temporal world.
Please also review AIHCP’s Christian Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Christian Counseling.
Recommended Readings
St Teresa of Avila and the Interior Castle.
Explore the Faith–Article on Interior Castle Click here
St Ignatius Loyola on Discernment. His 14 Rules for Discernment. Click here
Animals grieve but they grieve differently than humans. This is common sense because human beings are sentient. With sentience comes an understanding of existing or not existing in its more philosophical form. Being mindful of the cosmos, life and death, even without experiencing death is an attribute of sentient beings. Humans can understand what death means and understand what it means not to be. This existential awareness intensifies one’s grief when death occurs.
Animals can experience grief but lack a human understanding of death. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification
Animals do experience grief but on a much smaller scale. Animal grief is based off experience and reaction. While the animal understands non functionality of the another, it still does not fully grasp the core concept of existence vs non existence. They may miss, mourn, but the deeper forms of existential grief do not exist. In some ways this may be a blessing. Ignorance is may be bliss, but due to sentience human beings are equipped with a deeper understanding of the universe, existence itself and death. Understanding death itself is a burden humanity carries alone on earth.
The article, “What Does Animal Grief Tell Us About How They Understand Death?” by Justin Gregg looks deeper at how animals mourn but also their limitations in fully understanding the existential nature of death. He states,
“It’s important to understand, however, that just because a dolphin can recognize death, it does not mean she understands her own mortality. Or that all living things must die. These are two additional levels of understanding that nonhuman animals lack. According to Monsó, “a very sophisticated notion of personal mortality also incorporates the notions of inevitability, unpredictability, and causality.”
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Grief Counseling.
Everyone experiences loss. It is part of human existence to lose. One of the scariest realities is that no matter how happy we may one day be, what we have will one day be taken. Any family member we love, will one day die, or any object we cherish, we can one day lose or have it stolen. This is the precarious situation of life itself. Understanding loss and how we adjust to it is hence very important. Loss is the price of love and attachment hence grief is unavoidable. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification Program
A certified grief counselor can help with basic loss. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification
Individuals eventually need help with coping over loss. Some individuals experience greater loss than others and turn to help. Certified grief counselors can help with basic loss and licensed counselors can offer more indepth help for complications in grief. Grief Support groups can also help aide for those seeking answers to the mystery of love and loss.
The article, “Turning to Grief Counseling When You Need Help” by Melissa Porrey looks at how grief counselors can help with a variety of grief issues. She states,
“If you are unsure whether you are experiencing grief or finding it challenging to work through bereavement, grief counseling can offer support and helpful ways to bring meaning to the loss and allow you to move forward through your grief. This article will define grief, provide an overview of grief counseling, and offer ways to find a grief therapist.”
If you are looking to help individuals with grief you can also play a role. Certified grief counselors are professionals in health and mental health fields. Some are in ministry, or social services. While not all grief counselors are licensed counselors, many can help with the basics of loss. AIHCP offers a four year certification in Grief Counseling. The Grief Counseling Certification is online and independent study and open to those qualified professionals. Please review and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.
Complications in grief can occur when trauma is associated with it. Trauma that is severe enough to not become processed can cause PTSD and other complications in the grieving process. An individual will be haunted by the loss and have to eventually face it with therapy and counseling. Licensed counselors can help individuals face PTSD and also help them process the traumatic loss. Grief Counselors who are also licensed counselors can also add additional insight with their specialty and understanding of grief.
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification as a grief counselor.
As the grief process continues in life, individuals follow different routes towards reconciliation with the loss. While resolution can never come because love forbids it, reconciliation can occur. A reconciliation that allows one to live and move forward while still acknowledging the loss. However as one proceeds forward down this trajectory of reconciliation, birthdays, anniversaries, and other moments that remind one of the deceased can emerge. These moments can create grief bursts (Wolfelt) or even take someone further back in time. This not bad and is completely OK. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification
Part of reconciliation involves living and experiencing life while carrying loss. There is no escape from this contradiction. Joy and sadness merge together and reminders emerge that anchor us in the past but the joy of the present permits one to still sail forward. This seeming paradox is part of grief and incorporating loss into life itself. Grief Counselors can help others through these emotions. Please review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Courses
Sometimes grief and loss produce conflicting emotions as one begins to find happiness again in life. It is important to understand these emotions, respect them but not allow them to hurt the present and one’s reconciliation with grief itself. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification Program.
What’s Your Grief recently published a very interesting blog on dealing with conflicting emotions that muddy the water of life. As one moves forward, there is always a slight tug from behind or a pinch of the heart. When the widower or widow moves forward beyond the intensity of the first years of grief and finds a new love, there is the smile of the present but also the frown of the past. Conflicting emotions can emerge that confuse and cause new emotions of guilt.
In these paradoxes, individuals can have a whirlpool of emotions. One can experience intense grief at times, but also relief. The relief can also cause one to feel guilt. As the thoughts of the decease become less intense and less obsessive, an individual may feel guilty for the this respite from the pain. They may feel to honor the deceased, they then must continue to suffer. Grievers sometimes see any break from suffering as a betrayal to the deceased.
When meeting someone new, or looking forward to something exciting, a griever may feel the tug of the past. This tug is not bad but it should not prevent one from loving again or becoming excited over an event. This paradox can exist in multiple scenarios. Perhaps the grief and excitement of going to a ball game but without a beloved parent for the first time can create these unique and confusing experiencing. Or for someone the first time sharing a kiss with another person.
It is hence very important to learn how to experience the present, while keeping the past sacred. This may not be the easiest thing to do at first and it may cause conflicting emotions.
One may even enter into a “what if” or “should have” type mentality as one experiences the present. Instead of enjoying what is present, one thinks what if my loved one never died and where would I be myself? It is OK to wish the loved one still was alive, but this thinking if obsessive can derail the present. This will leave one from experiencing the present and not permitting one to make new memories. Part of the importance of reconciliation in grief is to place the loss in its proper perspective and chapter within one’s life. Robert Neimeyer talks about connecting the past, present and future together in one life narrative. Every chapter has intrinsic value. Every chapter is equally important and every chapter builds to the next. One chapter cannot be forgotten without expense to the next and the current chapter cannot be fully enjoyed when thinking of the past ones or future ones.
Its OK to be happy again. Please review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.
It is difficult to let go of the anxiety, but one needs to experience the conflicting emotions, respond to them and permit oneself to live the present. This is not something that happens day 1 of grief but something that occurs when full reconciliation with grief occurs. When reconciliation of the past and present allow one to find a new narrative and meaning for the future, then one can move forward, but if not, then these conflicting emotions can delay and possibly prevent happiness, so it is key to understand them and to properly react to them.
Helping others in the later phases of grief is important. Individuals sometimes need guidance and encouragement to move forward. Some need told that conflicting feelings are natural and not to feel bad about them when one is finally experiencing some type of happiness. Certified Grief Counselors can help individuals through these phases of finding true reconciliation in loss. They can help them connect the past chapters of the grieving’s life narrative to the present. Grief Counselors can also help individuals understand the the feelings and how to properly incorporate them. Moving forward can be difficult after loss, but it should not seem like a betrayal. Love is forever but over time is expressed differently due to life and death.
If you would like to learn more about AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification then please see if the program matches your academic and professional goals. The Grief Counseling Program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals seeking a four year certification in Grief Counseling. The program consists of four core courses that lead to certification. Qualified professionals include social workers, clergy, counselors, teachers, funeral directors, physicians, nurses and other mental and healthcare professionals. Undergraduate degrees in the social sciences and health care are also accepted.
Sources: Robert Neimeyer and Grief Therapy and the Reconstruction of Meaning: From Principles to Practice : Click here
What’s Your Grief : Conflicted Feelings in Grief: Reconciling the Present with What Might Have Been by Eleanor Haley. Click here
Understanding Your Grief: Ten Essential Touchstones for Finding Hope and Healing Your Heart by Alan Wolfelt
