Grief can become complicated when things go wrong in life. Prolonged grief and depression are very similar and can sometimes be misdiagnosed. Learning to cope with grief and find the counseling one needs can help individuals overcome grief in a healthy way.
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification 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
School shootings are a parent’s and community’s worst nightmare. Unfortunately, the wave of these national tragedies continue to rise and answers are still yet to be found on how to stop the senseless killing of children and teachers in schools due to mentally unstable individuals with guns.
The facts are alarming. The “Sandy Hook Promise” organization lists a variety of horrific gun and children related facts. Overall, each day 8 children die from gun violence and are the leading cause of death for children and teens. Unfortunately, despite the alarming number of school shootings, many could be avoided. In 4 out of every 5 shootings, at least one person knew beforehand or could have prevented it through proper vigilance and acknowledgement of the warning signs. Many of the attackers showed signs in the weeks before the attack with as many as 75 percent of individuals noticing the alarming and threatening behaviors. Finally, 68 percent of the time, most of the firearms were taken from the home due to improper storage of the weapon or parents did not believe the child knew where the gun was stored.
School shootings are a national pandemic that causes intense grief to parents, families, students, teachers and communities
This leads to two alarming trends. First mental health and second gun safety and laws. Better mental health care is required for youth as well as facilities to care for those exhibiting abuse, drug use as well as bullying. Secondly, better gun control laws without restricting freedoms need to be in place to protect children and schools. Yet, with political tug of war in Washington, little traction has been made, much less real solutions due to extremes that cannot reach common sense solutions.
The frightening reality is that shootings occur, children die and families deal with immense grief. Grief Counseling and trained grief counselors has risen due to these traumatic events. Families and victims need counseling from professional counselors, as well as certified grief counselors who can help with the local school district in helping teachers, staff, families and students with their grief and its processing.
In understanding a school shooting and its impact, it needs to be clearly classified as a traumatic event. PTSD is definitely a possible short term and long term lingering effect on many students and staff. This is especially made worst, since it was a human caused evil that baffles all logic and sense. Individuals are left with survival guilt, death imprint and imaging that is difficult to be associated into the mind due to the extreme graphic visuals.
Traumatic events can trigger PTSD and complicated grief such as depression. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Training
In counseling, all of these issues will be difficult to address and many may seek avoidance but the incident will continue to haunt. Until the loss and trauma is discussed in a healthy way, then and only then can grief healing take place. Following this though is the grieving process itself which can lead to complicated grief itself and depression due to the horrific nature.
Parents losing children, classmates losing friends, teachers losing students and communities being scattered suffer both individual and collective grief at various levels. All parties need help in processing the loss and caring for each other in healing and preventing anyone from being left behind. Support groups, individual counseling and helping others adjust to life after such a horrific event are parts of dealing with the crisis and part of the process of grief counseling.
Memorials, remembrance, social action and community outreach can help some heal, but the scars will always remain visible and apparent. Sandy Hook is only one sad reminder of these events in recent American history and continue to haunt so many more.
As grief counselors, it is not the purpose necessarily to find answers because there are no true answers to complete evil and trauma. Instead, it is the purpose to help others overcome trauma and find some balance in life. To try to help the loss find a place in the narrative of a person’s life and where that person will go in the future. Such tragic grief and loss usually does not end well though and it should not because it is so horrific, evil and traumatic. Love has been uprooted and painful loss inserted. It is a life long practice to learn to cope with the loss that will forever haunt everyone involved in such needless chaos.
Learning to help those through such difficult events is a process for qualified professionals. Grief even traumatic grief is unique and every student or teacher will react and recover within their own paradigms. Some may be prone to PTSD, while others will deal with naturally grieving and process it. Others may be extremely guilty and have more vivid death imprints. Others will be traumatized more due to relationships that were deeper. This involves a long process of vetting, questions and determinations to see who is highest risk to PTSD and complicated grief reactions.
If you would like to learn more about Grief Counseling or would like to become a certified Grief Counselor then please 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.
Seasonal depression can bring one down and it is more than just the winter blues. It is important to try to find ways to brighten spirits via light therapies, vitamin D, exercise and other ways to break up the longer dark days. It is important to try to find some way to find energy and optimism. Obviously, many of these things can help with winter blues, but if SAD, then it may take more than just a few optimistic thoughts but potentially counseling and medication.
Seasonal Affective Disorder affects many individuals. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Training
The article, “Fight Seasonal Depression With 4 Helpful Seasonal Affective Disorder Treatments” by Korin Miller looks at ways to combat SAD. She states,
“While it’s totally normal to not exactly love winter, if you feel like you tend to struggle emotionally and physically this time of year, you may start to wonder if you’re dealing with the mental health condition, seasonal affective disorder (SAD). SAD can lead to symptoms like feeling depressed most of the day, feeling worthless, having low energy, and losing interest in things you once enjoyed, per the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).”
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Training 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
Grief is unique. It is universal but different people can have different reactions and can grieve in multiple different ways. Grieving styles is how one expresses grief and there are multiple ways individuals express grief in a healthy way.
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
Grief is transformative. It forever changes an individual. The person retains identity but outlooks and personal views can alter and how one integrates the loss into life. From that integration can come beautiful ways to express oneself and generate new ways and new habits. Creativity is a by product of past destruction as things are rebuilt and understood in new lights.
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification 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
Well being is the balance of mind, body and spirit. It involves how we interact socially and find that perfect balance in life. It equates with happiness. However, when that balance is tipped through grief and depression, the balance can be lost and we may have trouble finding that balance again as we incorporate the new loss into our life
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.
Grief and how it is expressed has greatly changed with the dawn of the internet. Stories can be quickly shared and individuals may look to the internet or social media to find outlets for their grief or find comfort and solace. Sometimes this is a good thing and in other cases it can open the person to ridicule.
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
Grieving over something that has not yet occurred is referred to as Anticipatory Grief. When someone is terminal and dying, Anticipatory Grief is common as one grieves the event before it occurs.
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Courses and see if they meet your academic and professional goals. The program is online and independent study and open to qualified professionals looking for a four year certification in Grief Counseling
Holiday seasons are always difficult when the face of someone special is no longer present. While the first couple of years is most intense, it still forever lingers in one’s heart. It can be difficult to move forward and forge new traditions and it is OK. One should work slowly through such things because loss is not something one gets over with.
Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Training 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.
Eating disorders and how we process stress and emotion are very interconnection. A bad mood can easily derail well intentioned plans. So depression and eating disorders can also go hand and hand and cause multiple issues for the person in how they use eating as a coping device for their depression.
Depression and eating orders are linked. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Certification and see if it meets your professional goals
The article, “Can Depression Lead to Eating Disorders?” by Hilary Lebow looks closer how eating disorders can become issues when used as a way to cope with depression. She states,
“Managing depression and eating disorder symptoms can feel like a journey, but you are not alone and treatment for both conditions is possible. It’s common for depression and eating disorders to co-occur. Many doctors, therapists, and dietitians are trained in handling these conditions together. If you are experiencing symptoms of depression and eating disorders, talking with your doctor or therapist could be your gateway to treatment. Try to be easy with yourself. Healing is possible and available.”
Whether eating not at all or eating too much, disorders can manifest from depression. To read the entire article, please click here
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.
