Children can become fascinated with the concept of death at a young age. Many children are influenced by magical thinking and cannot conceptualize the permanence of death. Other children come into contact with death usually with the loss of a small pet such as a fish or hamster.
Children at a young age can become very interested in the topic of death. Please also review our Child and Adolescent Grief Counseling Program
The article, “Why Do 4-Year-Olds Love Talking About Death?” by Jessica Grose looks at this curious interest. The article states,
“When our older daughter was 4, it seemed like she was asking us about death constantly. These questions were apropos of nothing; we hadn’t had a death in the family or lost a pet. What was jarring was her matter-of-fact tone.”
The loss of a child and stillborn birth is a very traumatic type of loss for parents. This type of loss robs the parents of anything before life is able to experienced outside the womb. Cases vary if the child dies before or during birth, but the blunt reality of losing one’s child on its birthday is a cold reality that few ever recover from.
The loss of a child at birth or prior to birth is a tragic event. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification
The article, “Parents Mourning Stillbirth Follow Familiar Patterns on YouTube” by Christine Ro looks at some of the familiar patterns by parents from youtube. The article states,
“For 24 agonizing hours, Monica Franco-Pineda prepared to deliver a stillborn baby. She and her husband, Walter, had learned on Oct. 14, 2010, four days past her due date, that their son, Gabriel, no longer had a heartbeat. “I had a lot of time to digest what was going to happen,” she remembers.”
Divorce is a difficult transition. The loss of relationship, life style, and family can be very difficult. There are many secondary losses beyond the divorce that can affect one’s grieving process as well.
Divorce is more than emotional pain but also great loss. Please also review our Grief Counseling Program
The article, “6 Ways To Deal With Grief After Divorce — So You Can Heal & Move On” by Karen Finn states,
“Life after divorce involves a lot of agony in its wake and grief is an inescapable part of it. But the work to getting over it ending and dealing with grief after a bitter divorce can create another level of agony altogether.”
Please also review our Grief Counseling Program and see if it matches your academic and professional needs. In the meantime, be aware of the many facets of grief and loss that is wrapped up in divorce itself.
The suffering and loss experienced by the Blessed Virgin on Good Friday is beyond the grief any mother should ever endure. She suffered a spiritual martyrdom as her Son was crucified for the sins of the world.
The combined sorrows of Mary and Jesus, offered to the Father through Christ. Please also review our Grief Christian Counseling Training
The grief of Mary and Jesus and Christ’s death are remembered during Good Friday and remind us the power of sacrifice. Jesus was able to turn death into life and grief into joy. This teaches the Christian to endure hardships and trials and offer them to the Father through our high priest, Jesus Christ.
Mary’s grief and loss also have immense value. She offered her pain to Jesus and through her intimate suffering with him played a key role in our salvation. Mary was not the source of our salvation, but her suffering and offering of her Son was pivotal in our redemption.
Eve played a critical role in our fall but was not the reason, like so, Mary, the New Eve, plays a critical role in our salvation. She reflects and plays the role of Eve, as Christ is our new Adam.
In this, as Christians, while we reflect on the sorrows of Christ, we can also in good faith, reflect on the sorrows of His mother. By doing so, all is reflected to Christ, as we meditate on the sufferings of mother and Son, New Eve and New Adam, immaculate and sacred hearts of both Jesus and Mary
Please also review our Grief Christian Counseling Program and see if it matches the needs of your ministry in Christian Counseling those in grief.
Losing a child is the ultimate loss. The loss can be worst if that child is murdered. All of these circumstances create the perfect storm for the worst type of grief a person can experience.
Losing a child to murder or violence is one of the worst pains in existence. Please also review our Grief Counseling Training
The article, “‘This doesn’t go away’: When your child is murdered, grief is only the beginning” by Ashley Luthern states,
“The outside world did not seem to care much about her son, either. Anthony’s death, the 85th homicide of the year, warranted a few clips on TV broadcasts and three paragraphs in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Certain manners of death — like a homicide or drug overdose — carry a social stigma that can be isolating and possibly lead to something called “disenfranchised grief,” said Handel, the psychotherapist.”
When trying to become healthy, one must not just relay on supplements but must choose a good diet and exercise regiment. Diet and exercise needs to be the central aspect of all healthy life styles. Vitamins and supplements should compliment but not replace diet and exercise.
A proper diet should not be replaced with supplements. Please also review our Holistic Nursing Program
The article, “Vitamins and Supplements Can’t Replace a Balanced Diet, Study Says” by JAMIE DUCHARME states,
“Roughly 90% of American adults do not eat enough fruits and vegetables, but many are trying to make up for it by popping pills. According to the Council for Responsible Nutrition, 75% of U.S. adults take a dietary supplement of some kind. Multivitamins, many people believe, are a one-step way to get the nutrients they need.”
To read the entire article, please click here
Please also review our program in Holistic Nursing to learn more about healthy diets and lifestyles from a more natural perspective. Also, please review our Life Coaching Program
When death happens in a business setting it can upset the entire organization. The surviving colleague needs to take up the slack and help the organization forward. How to deal with this type of loss though can have many effects on the team. Many secondary losses can also be experienced as a whole to the company.
Losing a colleague at work can be difficult. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification
The article, “When a Colleague Dies, CEOs Change How They Lead” by Guoli Chen states,
“If the person doing the thinking is among the upper echelons of an organization, the recognition that their time on earth is all too finite can have a widespread impact across their company.”
With so much negativity surrounding video games, it is good to hear some healthy benefits of them. This is especially true in the case of grief. Video games allow individuals to live their emotions through other avatars. This can also be a very beneficial experience, especially in grief.
Video games can help individuals cope with grief. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification
The article, “How Video Games Help Us Process Grief” by Dana Folkard looks at how video games help the gamer deal with and express grief. The article states,
“We need a distraction from grief, something that has the potential to re-connect us with life. For some, video games can serve this purpose. For others it may be strenuous gym workouts, work, eating, drinking, walking, gardening and so on.”
To review the entire article, please click here
Many role playing video games give the person the escape they need from grief. It enables them to live life through another, experience loss through others and relate with the character.
Healthcare professionals need to understand the nature and grief of children. Children grieve differently and need guidance. Certified Child and Adolescent Grief Counselors can help in this process.
Children grieve differently and professionals need to address that. Please also review our Child and Adolescent Grief Counseling Program
Some may already be licensed counselors, others may be social workers or health care providers, but a certification in Child and Adolescent Grief Counseling is a useful tool in helping grieving children.
The article, “When Children Grieve: 10 Important Points for Youth Welfare Professionals” by Irene Searles McClatchey looks at important aspects of child grief. The article states,
“The following 10 tips for helping grieving children and teens and their caregivers derive from my own practice with bereaved children. I have held healing camps for children and adolescents bereaved of a parent or sibling three to four times a year for the past 24 years. Over this time span it has become evident that children need to have their grief acknowledged and a space to have their feelings listened to.”
Grief and loss are difficult themes. It is hard for the individual to overcome basic loss, but complications can even make grief more difficult. One time of grief is ambiguous grief, or the type of grief that is lost in between, or the grey areas of loss.
With ambiguous grief you live in a grey area of doubt, hope, despair and sometimes joy, but ultimately you are preparing yourself for the end
The classic example of someone who is dying slowly is an example of ambiguous grief. The family is left with the long awaited death, but still try to keep hope. The family sees the person suffer, with some hoping for the suffering to end, with others sometimes unknowingly selfishly cannot let go.
The purgatory of ambiguous grief can later lead to other complications. Some may feel guilty over the death of a loved one for having caregiver fatigue, while others may feel guilty they wished the person would finally die to find peace.
Complicated grief can emerge from many of these scenarios later in the grieving process. For some though, ambiguous grief is just a period of conflicting emotions where one finds joy then sadness with also hope and despair.
While dealing with long term illness of a family member, family members need to just be free to feel. They should not feel guilty or resentful, but respect the process, cherish the time left, and allow the grieving process to continue. In fact, such long term deaths, prepare many for the death of the a loved, and while the loss is still impactful, it is not sudden. The grief process has already begun well before the death.
Terminal illness is death that has yet to come. Grief hence can become ambiguous in nature. Please review our Pastoral Thanatology program
When dealing with long term grief over a terminal illness of a loved one, it may be good to consult a certified Grief Counselor or speak with a someone educated in Pastoral Thanatology. One can find the guidance and relief they need during this process.
Please review our Pastoral Thanatology program, as well as our Grief Counseling program to see if they meet your academic and professional needs.
