Digital Life: To tweet or not about death, dying

Is it acceptable to blog about your illness from your hospital bed? How about if you’re dying? What about a son tweeting from his mother’s bedside in the ICU?

Source: www.usatoday.com

Social media is making the world a smaller place and opening people to many new ways of expression.  Dying and death are big issues that are becoming normalized in our everyday lives as we discover the death of a friend or relative online.  What is proper use of these technologies?  This article looks at to tweet or not to tweet.

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Tips for Teaching a Death and Dying Class in Your Community

If you are searching for a way to improve end-of-life awareness and make a lasting impact on society you might consider teaching a class on death and dying at your local community college.

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

A good article for certified bereavement counselors to review and apply to their potential teaching and instruction regarding death and dying in the classroom setting

if you would like to learn more about grief counseling and death and dying then please review the program and see if it matches your academic and professional needs

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What would you tell your younger self about grief?

When my mother died, I knew nothing about grief. Truthfully, I knew nothing about life either. Like most, I entered grief with nothing more than a handful of assumptions and a few preconceived notions.

Source: www.whatsyourgrief.com

Grief is something that can only be experienced to truly understand it.  i am sure for those who have experienced grief and loss on a larger scale, there is much they can share and probably would like to share with their younger selves, but the reality is we have to go through it to learn and only through these crosses do we grow.

If you would like to become certified in Grief Counseling, then please review the program

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By Sharing Death on the Web, Dying May Not Feel So Alone

When terminal illness is chronicled for all the world to witness, the end of life takes on new meaning

Source: time.com

Ideas on death and dying are more universally seen in personal cases now due to the advances in social media and how it has become a staple in American culture.   This can broaden the conversation about death and dying and expose what used to be a private thing and make it more public and known to those who seek to avoid discussing it

If you would like to become a certified grief counselor, then please review the program

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The Role of the Acute Stress Response in Grief

I want you to think about the worst moment of your life.  When was it?   What was happening?

Source: www.whatsyourgrief.com

An excellent article that looks how individuals respond to traumatic news.  With any sad or bad news, within the the first minutes, our body has an acute stress response, in grief this has been researched via Kubler Ross, Worden, Rando, etc.  The flight or fight mechanism in our body.  This article looks deeper into these ideas.

If you would like to become a certified bereavement counselor, then please review the program

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The Unprecedented Nature of Individual Grief

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard someone say they like ambiguity, I’d be pretty broke.  Studies show that making ambiguous decisions (based on little or conflicting evidence) actually activates areas of the brain associated with processing fear and emotion; thus proving that fear of the unknown is more than just an ominous …

Source: www.whatsyourgrief.com

Good article reminding us that grief while a empirical study based upon group studies of people and how they socially and emotionally react to loss, is still nonetheless a very individual experience.  To completely classify it, while important, still can be disastrous when dealing with an individual.

If you would like to learn more about bereavement counseling training, then please review the program

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8 Reasons Why Winter is the Worst (for grievers)

What’s cold, icy, really uncomfortable, and sometimes makes you sad? Gosh darn winter, that’s what. You can spare me your affinity for skiing, fresh fallen snow and curling up by a warm fire because I will swiftly counter with wet socks, slush, and lack of sunlight.

Source: www.whatsyourgrief.com

An excellent article on Winter and those who are going through the grieving process.  This article looks over 8 reasons why winter is the worst for grievers.

If you are grieving, see what relates and see if you can help yourself in regards to some of the issues that may be affecting you beyond the grief

If you would like to become a certified grief counselor, then please review the program

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Bereavement Counseling Education: 2015 Without You

Bereavement Counseling Education: 2015 Without You

The beginning of a New Year without a loved one can leave one pessimistic about the future and New Year.  The previous year took something very special that can never be replaced and leaves the New Year and future years with many questions marks and uncertainties.

The following year is a pivotal time of healing and adaptation for the grieving.  It brings along many ‘first” anniversaries.  In some cases a first Christmas or first Thanksgiving without a loved one, depending on the time of year the deceased passed.  Some anniversaries may also include birthdays, or special anniversaries that will cause the scab of grief to bleed freshly.    Ultimately, the most dreaded day of the New Year is the anniversary of the loved one’s death.

So for those of us who lost a loved in 2014, how can we honestly look forward to 2015?  We can be optimistic but also realistic.  We do not want to harm ourselves by not expressing grief and allowing ourselves to mourn.  So while these days and anniversaries will bring grief, we should see the grief as something therapeutic that allows us to heal and express our love in our healthy way.

The optimism for the New Year should be us adapting to the loss in a healthy way that allows us to love the deceased in different spiritual ways.  The love and bond never dies but exists in eternity and can never be broken.  It is through our grief that we learn to better continue that bond in this life and into the next one.

The optimism for the New Year also means we are still alive and must continue to exist for others as well as ourselves.   Good things can still happen and new bonds will be formed.  They can never replace the old bonds but they continue our life story.  In any story, the previous chapters are critical, but without the following the chapters the story has no meaning.  We need to understand this concept and continue to write future chapters in our life.

So realistically how will 2015 be?  It will be happy, it will be sad and there will be times of optimism and times of pessimism.  Grief is not linear but is wavelike, oscillating back and forth as we gradually move forward.   Yet, as we progress, we cannot forget the bonds that exist with others and the new bonds that still must be formed.   In our continued bond with the deceased, let us remember that they want us to be happy and appreciate our love that will be again consummated in the next life.

If you are interested in learning more about Grief and Bereavement Counseling Training then please review our program.  Our courses offer Bereavement Counseling Education for qualified professionals who hope to achieve certification in Grief Counseling.

In the meantime, please realize that your grief is not something to throw to the side but to embrace because the gift of love between you and the loved one lost is beautiful and not something to be taken lightly.  Try in this New Year to see that this bond still exists but in a different way as you travel this tough road of grief.

The American Academy of Grief Counseling

 

Applications of a Certified Grief Counselor

What Exactly is a Certified Grief Counselor?

Believe it or not, people confuse the nature of Grief Counseling with many things that it is not.   Grief Counseling does not deal with pathologies, but the simple emotion of loss and the re-adaptation to that loss.   A certified Grief Counselor, without a counseling license issued by the state, does not possess the training or skill to deal with depression or complicated grief.

In this regard, a person who is a certified Grief Counselor, may or may not be a licensed counselor.  Licensed counselors may very well seek out a certification in Grief Counseling as a professional attachment to their already glowing resume, but as a certification, this is voluntary.

Hence a certified Grief Counselor is a trained professional who helps people deal with loss and readjustment to that loss.  The loss can vary from the death of a loved one to a loss of a job and anything in between.  As a trained professional, a certified Grief Counselor, as mentioned, can already be a licensed counselor who can deal with deeper issue of grief, or any health care professional.   Other professional candidates for Grief Counseling Certification include those in Social Work, Ministry, Funeral Services, or Hospice.

If non of these professions apply, an approved degree in the Health Science or Social Sciences can be applicable for eligibility.

The American Academy of Grief Counseling requires that their certified Grief Counselors meet these requirements, as well as completion of four basic core courses in Grief Counseling.  These independent study courses with mentorship, help the student grasp the basic of the nature of grief and how to help individuals suffering from it.  Theories and practical counseling techniques are taught in these courses and help the qualified professional achieve the educational background necessary to successfully grief counsel.

Those seeking employment in Grief Counseling can coach/counsel at the grassroot level or work in conjuction with a variety of healthcare institutions, schools, funeral homes, social programs, hospices, or church ministries.

The need for Grief Counseling and certified Grief Counselors is always great because all humans grieve.  It is the nature of a person to experience loss.  With this in mind, the career of a certified Grief Counselor is not just a job but also a vocation to the suffering

If you are interested in learning more about Grief Counseling Education or would like to become a certified Grief Counselor, then please review the program.

AIHCP

Grief Counseling Education: 5 Tips to Dealing with a Miscarriage

Grief Counseling Education and 5 Tips to Dealing with a Miscarriage

 

Dealing with a miscarriage can be heartbreaking for both you and your partner. By practicing good self-care in the days and weeks following this tragic event, you can ensure that you will maintain your mental and physical health and prepare yourself for the next steps in your family planning. Read on for five tips to follow if you’ve had a recent miscarriage.

1. Follow Up with Your OB/GYN
According to Vitals, seeing your medical provider after your miscarriage can help determine the cause of the miscarriage. While this is a very common occurrence in early pregnancy, recurrent miscarriage can be a sign of an underlying condition that your doctor may be able to treat. According to Dr. Gilbert W. Webb, medical care is also important to ensure that you are physically healthy after a miscarriage, particularly if you’re planning to try to get pregnant again.

2. Pay Attention to Physical Recovery
It may take several weeks before your body feels normal again following a miscarriage. Many women experience vaginal bleeding, cramping, and breast discomfort. Ask your doctor how you can best treat these symptoms. If possible, consider taking time off work or limiting normal activities until you feel better; however, if you are up to your usual routine, that’s fine too.

3. Grieve Your Loss
You’ve experienced a profound loss, and giving yourself a chance to feel the emotions associated with this loss is an important part of the grief process. It’s normal to feel sad, angry, disappointed, and confused following a miscarriage. Share these emotions with a partner and/or trusted friend. If you feel you’re struggling with resuming normal life, you may want to seek professional counseling.

4. Seek Counseling if Need Be
If you’re having trouble dealing with your emotions after having a miscarriage, ask your provider for resources. He or she may be able to recommend a counselor that can help you sort out your feelings. In addition, a pregnancy loss support group in your area can be an invaluable resource.

5. Prepare for Future Pregnancies
When you feel emotionally ready, it’s usually safe to get pregnant again as soon as your menstrual cycle returns to normal. Every woman is different, though, so talk with your doctor about your individual situation.

While miscarriage can be devastating, keep in mind that the majority of women who experience a loss go on to have healthy pregnancies and babies. If you have several miscarriages, talk with your doctor about ways to solve the underlying issues and improve your fertility.

By Lizzie Weakley

(My name is Lizzie Weakley and I am a freelance writer from Columbus, Ohio. I went to college at The Ohio State University where I studied communications. I enjoy the outdoors and long walks in the park with my 3-year-old husky Snowball.)

 

If you are interested in Grief Counseling Education, then please review our program.

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