Grief Counseling Blog

Other resources:

Grief Counseling Certification Article on Burnout

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

On many occasions driven individuals reach an emotional dead end.  They can no longer proceed forward and became mentally fatigued.  This is referred to as burn out.  When an individual burns out they no longer feel the drive or energy to keep doing what they had been doing.  This type of burn out can be triggered by a host of things.  Usually it is due to putting too much on one’s shoulders and agenda to carry.  It then takes easily one thing to make the entire body crumble under the stress.  Some question is this type of burnout a type of depression?

Professional burn out can occur to those who push too many boundaries. Is there a big difference between depression and burnout? Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification program

The article, “Is Burnout Actually a Form of Depression? by Grant Brenner looks at how individuals can balance work and life without dismissing the possibility of clinical depression.  He states,

“The distinction between burnout and depression is blurry, distracted by impassioned debate. The World Health Organization presents depression and burnout as serious problems — one as a medical illness, and the other as the result of professional factors. Yet they are similar, and depression has been around much longer.”

To read the entire article, please click here

It is very important to understand one’s mental, emotional and physical barriers.  In acknowledging limitations, one can prevent possible burnout or depression.  Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.

Grief Counseling Program Article on Employees and Depression

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Grief at work can lead to lack of production but it cannot be ignored.  It is important that it is addressed to not only benefit the business but to also help the employee.  Employers need to be understanding, flexible and know what to expect from their employee.  This requires leadership and sometimes a listening ear.  It requires a temporary adjustment potentially.  While large factories are less equipped to notice the needs of an individual, unions and friends should be aware.  Smaller businesses have the luxory and ability to better address the needs of the individual.

A depressed employee needs care and understanding so he can return to productivity. Please also review our Grief Counseling Program

 

It is critical to not only help the employee emotionally but also to help them adjust for the benefit of the business itself.  While one does not wish to put money over emotion, there comes a time when the employee must learn to cope and play his or her part in the process, but without the understanding and leadership from good managers, this can be quite a hard thing.

The article, “How to Manage an Employee with Depression” by Kristen Bell DeTienne, Jill M. Hooley, Cristian Larrocha and Annsheri Reay look at the problems of depression and how a manager can help an employee at work who is suffering from depression.  They state,

“Yet despite this enormous and growing toll, many employers take an ad hoc approach to handling depression among employees. Many managers become aware of mental health issues only when they investigate why a team member is performing poorly. A better scenario would be if employees felt empowered to report a mental health problem and ask for a reasonable accommodation so that their manager can intervene to minimize the damage to the organization and help the employees return as quickly as possible to full health.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Employers who are more considerate to depression and the mental health of their employees are not only showing compassion but also good business sense.  Employees are a company’s top resource and making sure they are happy and productive is critical to success.  Please also review our Grief Counseling Program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.

 

 

 

Grief Counseling Training Program Article on Addiction and Grief

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Drinking and depression are tied together.  Many individuals when they feel depressed or sad feel the need to drink to escape the pain.  This form of escapism can lead to addiction.  For others it can be a temporary refuge from the issues presenting themselves, but the issue still remains.  Dealing with grief requires healthy coping mechanisms not detrimental ones through drugs and drinking.

Alcohol and depression are tied together closely. Please also review our Grief Counseling Training Program and see if it meets your professional needs

 

The article, “What to know about alcohol and depression” by Zawn Villines takes a closer look at the connections that exist between depression and alcohol.  He states,

“Some people with depression drink alcohol to ease their symptoms. Over time, this can lead to alcohol dependence and abuse.  People who drink to cope with psychological distress may drink more over time, especially when they wake up feeling anxious or depressed. Chronic drinking significantly increases the risk of alcohol abuse.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review our Grief Counseling Training Program as well as our Substance Abuse Consulting Program.  Both programs help prepare professionals to help others with grief and addiction.

 

Grief Counseling Program Article on Season Depression

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Seasonal depression is very common.  In the middle of January through most of the remaining Winter individuals begin to long for Spring.  The grey skies, lack of holiday fun, and cold and damp weather can influence one negatively.  With sickness and aches, individuals can succumb to depression more easily.  It is important to stay alert, active and positive minded when dealing with the lack of light, cold and depressive weather.  It is important to be find joy and fun in these days.

The winter months can lead to seasonal depression. Please also review our Grief Counseling Program

 

The article, “Fighting off gloomy-weather depression with simple habits” from KTVO looks at how depressing weather can negatively affect a person.  The article states,

“SAD, is a type of depression that affects people at the same time each year, typically late fall through the winter months.  The disorder is more common in women than men and young people have a higher risk of developing it. With the conditions for most starting in their 20’s.  The changes in your mood are driven by chemicals in your body like serotonin and melatonin. Serotonin is thought to affect mood and appetite while melatonin will give the urge to sleep and wake up.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Seasonal depression is real and needs to be addressed.  If you feel it coming on, find help.  Certified grief counselors can help, as well as licensed professional counselors.  It is important to remain positive and healthy in the darker months of the year.  Please also review our Grief Counseling Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.  The program is independent study and online and certified an individual for four years.

Grief Counseling Program Article on Dealing with Grief While at Work

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Grief is difficult to deal with.  It forces us to adapt and change.  Through this change, it can be distracting and painful.  Unfortunately, many of us cannot walk away from life but must learn to cope with grief while attending school or working.  This is a difficult process but sometimes can also be therapeutic.  It frees the mind and gives us some normalcy.  Some may even attempt to escape into work to avoid the pain.  This is as much a problem as those who cannot focus on work due to grief.

Learning to adjust at work is important.  Life must go on.  It is important to let your manager or supervisor know of your situation. It may be important also to find counseling to help one adjust.  It can definitely be tough to work while grieving but it is something one must do.

 

Working while grieving can be very difficult for some. Some consider a burden others an escape. Please also review our Grief Counseling Program

 

The article, “7 ways to deal with grief at work” by Erica Sweeney looks the difficulty of coping while at work but looks at ways to help individuals move forward with their career task.  She states,

“Many employees aren’t able to take much time off from work to process a loss. While 88% of employers offer bereavement leave, according to the Society for Human Resource Management, it averages about three days. That amount can vary greatly, however, since no federal requirements for bereavement leave exist. TheFamily and Medical Leave Act doesn’t specifically cover it, and the Fair Labor Standards Act doesn’trequire paid time off to attend funerals.”

To read the entire article, please click here

With careers and work so important to financial stability, it is critical to overcome grief to the extent one can cope while at work.  While we cannot escape grief, we have to be able to live with it.  Please also review our Grief Counseling Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.

 

Grief Counseling Certification Article on Types of Depression

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Depression is a chronic state of perpetual sadness.  Some forms of depression are acutely caused and temporary while other forms have no real reason and can last for months upon months or reoccur.

Depression is a far more serious state than normal grief reaction.  Normal grief reaction results from loss in some form.  It proceeds through a series of responses that can go in a particular order or not.  Various emotions can skip out of the so called order of denial, anger, bargaining, mourning and acceptance.  In fact, normal grief reactions can also have extreme oscillations and reversals to previous states.  None of this constitutes depression necessarily.  Grief itself is a natural reaction to loss and is not a pathology.  Sadness over loss even years after does not designate depression, but the inability to escape continual acute emotional pain and ability to adjust to new life does.

Depression can have a direct cause or no cause. It is important to find help. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification

 

Depression though results in a variety of complications that prevent a normal grief reaction.  Sudden or extreme losses can cause depression, as well as, situations surrounding the loss itself.  Some losses are so extreme or the situations so gruesome that it can shake the very fabric of the individual’s life narrative.  These reactions can lead to later complications in the grief response and prevent adaption to the loss.

Depression hence can be caused due to external issues but it can also be internal.  Depression sometimes may have no true cause or loss correlated with it.

The article, “Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions in the United States. There are several different types of depression.” by Jane Leonard looks at the different types of depression and their symptoms.  She states,

“Depression is one of the most common mental health conditions in the United States. There are several different types of depression.  People with depression experience distinct periods — lasting at least 2 weeks — of sadness, low energy, and loss of interest in things that they once enjoyed. People sometimes refer to these periods as depressive episodes.”

To read the entire article on depression, please click here

It is important to realize that simply certified grief counselors without any type of counseling license cannot treat depression.  They can help with others in overcoming the pains of grief but they cannot treat depression.  Individuals who are licensed and also obtain a certification in Grief Counseling have the ability to utilize their skills to treat both, natural grief and complications in grief.  This does not mean certified grief counselors do not play an important role.  Those who are only certified but not licensed as counselors, can still help others overcome loss and possibly identify signs of grief complication.  They can serve as front line soldiers in helping others find the help they need in overcoming depression.

Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.  The program is online and independent study and is open to qualified professionals seeking certification.

Grief Counseling Certification Article on Sleep and Depression

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Grief and lack of sleep can go both coincide.  Grief can affect sleep patterns in negative ways.  The lack of sleep and depression can have multiple effects on one’s health.  It is important to manage depression and sleep and to find the necessary help to be healthy emotionally and physically.

Depression and lack of sleep is an unhealthy combination. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification

 

The article, “What is the relationship between depression and sleep?” by Timothy Legg states,

“According to one scientific journal, sleep loss might contribute to neurochemical changes in the brain, which can result in depression. The researchers also suggest that depression may lead to disrupted sleeping patterns.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Bad sleep and depression build on each other in the most negative ways.  It is best to treat one’s depression so sleep is not affected.  Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.

Grief Counseling Training Program Article on Hidden Depression

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Depression can lead to dismay and withdraw from life.  It can linger and force one into a bed and afraid to exit a room.  While depression may have an acute reason, it may have no reason at all and it can negatively affect the person’s social and financial life.  The person will not be as productive or able to function in society and as a result, suffer far more deeply than just the symptoms but fall behind in all aspects of life.

High functioning depression is emotional state that many ignore. It is important to find help. Please also review our Grief Counseling Training Program

 

Depression however affects people differently.  Some individuals may remain functioning at a high level but still suffer from constant depression.  They are conscious of the depression but are able to move forward and function.  While this is good it still represents a serious situation which can erode over time.  The person can become eventually become more susceptible to various illness and emotional states that may present itself.   Some also manifest a hidden depression.  In this, they function but are unaware of the depression itself.  This creates a a dangerous situation where individuals ignore the signs and do not seek help.  Functional depressed are aware of the situation and admit to it and can seek help, while hidden depression lingers at a subconscious level while the person wonders why they are unhappy despite all they do everyday.

The article, “Do You Have High-Functioning or Perfectly Hidden Depression?” by Dr. Margaret Rutherford looks at the manifestations of high functioning depression.  She states,

“Psychologically speaking, people with high-functioning depression are able to use the skill of compartmentalization, where you suppress your own personal feelings for the moment and instead, attend to the needs or expectations of the present. You metaphorically put anger or sadness or fear into a box in your emotion closet and stick it up on a shelf until it’s the right time to deal with it. It’s an important skill, and one that many people know how to use well and effectively.”

To read the entire article regarding high functioning depression, please click here

Please also review our Grief Counseling Training Program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals.  The program is independent study and online.  The certification lasts four years and can be renewed.

In the meantime, as grief counselors, it is important to diagnose hidden depression and lead clients to the appropriate therapists, unless of course, as a certified grief counselor, you are also a licensed therapist.

Grief Counseling Training Program Article on Military and Grief

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

Grief among military veterans is something that does not receive enough attention.  Military members come into greater contact with death and traumatic experience than any others.  It is important that they receive the grief counseling and care they need

Military members deal with much grief and need continued aid and counseling. Please also review our Grief Counseling Training Program

 

The article, “Grief Is Common Among Military Vets — But Rarely Recognized” by Emily Dugdale looks into this problem.  She emphasizes the importance of military members and their grief being recognized and discussed. She states,

Researchers have amply documented veterans’ PTSD and depression, but grief has not gotten the same level of attention, said Roxane Cohen Silver, a UC Irvine psychological science professor who co-authored a study of grief among veterans.  “What we’re identifying are very important psychological consequences of serving in the war that are clearly being missed,”

To read the entire article, please click here

Military veterans deserve continued counseling from their experiences.  Grief and trauma need addressed.  Please also review our Grief Counseling Training program and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.

Grief Counseling Certification Article on Depression and the Winter Blues

Posted on by Dominick Flarey

It can become very difficult to know when you are truly depressed or just dealing with the grey and cold skies of Winter.  Many individuals naturally feel more depressed with less day light and the ending of the holidays and Christmas.  These things are natural but for some it is hard to tell the difference between true depression and the winter blues.

Is it depression or just the winter blues? Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification Program

 

The article, “How to Know the Difference Between the Winter Blues and Depression – and What You Can do About It” from Localtalk Contributor looks more deeply at the differences and what can be done about it.  The article states,

“More than 300 million people worldwide experience depression. Depression can affect anyone regardless of age, culture or lifestyle. Many factors can impact mental health including medical illness, environment, challenging life events and memories. There are often multiple causes, but it is not anyone’s fault.  ”

To read the entire article, please click 

Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification and see if it matches your academic and professional goals