Grief Counseling is more needed than it is used unfortunately.  Many people drift away and allow pain and loss to negatively affect them.  They sometimes do more damage by hiding grief.  Grief Counseling is for basic loss.  It can help one heal and cope better with loss and prevent pathological later reactions to grief.  Certified grief counselors can play key roles in helping others deal with basic grief loss.

The article, “Demystifying Grief Counseling: Five FAQs” from Whats Your Grief looks at the importance of grief counseling.  The article states,

“First, we want to clarify what we mean by ‘grief counseling’. When we use the terms ‘grief counseling’, we’re using it to mean any type of one-on-one, couples, or family therapy, provided by a licensed counselor, to someone(s) who experienced a significant loss. Ideally, the counselor will have experience and expertise related to grief and bereavement, though their backgrounds will vary. ”

It is important to realize that licensed counselors can provide more indepth counseling beyond basic loss.  Many licensed counselors are also grief certified.  Qualified professionals who are not licensed can provide basic grief support but not beyond the basic elements of loss.  To read the entire article, please click here

Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Training for certified grief counselors.  The program is open to qualified professionals who are looking for an online and independent study program

Grief while universal is definitely also unique and very complex.  The complexity of grief leads to a variety of reactions to loss due to multiple different origins.

The article, “The Grief Experience: Survey Shows It’s Complicated” by Koenig takes a closer look at the complexity of grief.  She states,

“Many of us have the misperception that there’s a right way to grieve, and most people think they’re doing it wrong,” says Donna Schuurman, a family therapist and senior director of advocacy and training and at the Dougy Center, a Portland, OR, nonprofit that helps people deal with the death of a loved one. “We live in a society that wants us to get over it and move on.”

To read the entire article, please click here

Grief will always be a complicated emotion to fully understand but we can help others grieve in a healthy way.  We can understand the reasons behind each case and help those individuals cope with their grief in effective ways.  Please also review our Grief Counseling Courses and see if you would like to become a certified Grief Counselor.

In grief and loss, we speak about tangible losses, losses, we can summarize, quantify, and then adjust and adapt to that loss.   Whether it is the loss of a family member, or a relationship, or a precious thing, one can accept the fact that it gone and proceed with the healing processes of grief.  The process of grief and adjusting to loss, however, is disrupting when unresolved grief occurs.

What exactly is unresolved grief?  Unresolved grief is a type of complication in the grieving process that prevents a natural and healthy conclusion to the loss.  It prevents the person from accepting the loss, or moving forward in a healthy fashion.  It leaves the person in a type of perpetual mental limbo.

This type of reaction can be internally or externally caused.  If one has issues with the deceased that were never resolved, then an emotional soup of various feelings can emerge with no particular direction towards resolution.   This can occur, especially with such cases as suicide, as well as with sudden death of a loved one.   In some cases, there are unresolved emotional issues between the person and deceased that were never resolved while both were alive.   This can lead to unresolved feelings later.

Apart from internal causes, external causes can put one in a state of unresolved grief.  When a loved one is abducted or missing, then this can lead to a perpetual state of unresolved feelings.  This is perhaps one of the greatest pains a parent can feel because they are in perpetual fear and anxiety of what has happened to their child.   If the case never comes to a conclusion, the parents are never mentally allowed to find acceptance in the fact their child is probably dead.   Without a proper funeral, justice, or verification, the parents and family can be scarred traumatically.

So many individuals suffer grave injustices in the world.   From fugitives who escape justice to mass genocide, individuals who survive these crimes, face not only personal recovery, but also a resolution in regards to justice and the conclusion found in that justice.  When justice is not handed out, the unresolved grief festers within the soul and demands justice to finally give them and the victims peace.  This was especially true of the Holocaust survivors who faced not only their recovery from the person trauma, but also the demand of social justice against the criminals who perpetrated the crimes.

Through trials and justice, many find the conclusion they need to finally heal completely from the loss.   Seeing a murderer or rapist brought to trial, gives the victim and families the closure they need to be able to rebuild their life.   Without that closure, the unresolved issues of their grief will continue to haunt them.

Unresolved grief itself can cause anxiety, depression, lead to eruptions of anger and frustration, leaving the person in a state of emotional limbo.   It is because of this, that clients need help in understanding what they can control and what they cannot.  It takes more than merely a certified grief counselor but also a licensed mental counselor with grief training to help an individual through unresolved grief.

If you would like to learn more about Grief Counseling or would like to become a certified Grief Counselor, then please review our program and see if it matches your academic and professional needs.

A few weeks back we published a post called 64 Myths About Grief that Just Need to Stop.  Today, I’m going to illustrate a few of these grief myths because my brain is too fried right now to compose complete sentences. Anyways, sometimes it takes a good stick figure to drive the absurdity of certain thoughts …

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.whatsyourgrief.com

Good article about grief myths.  This article is good for those grieving and grief counselors who wish to truly understand the nature of grief.

If you would like to become a certified grief counselor then please review the program and see if it matches your educational and professional needs

#certifiedgriefcounselor

What do we want to do right when we witness the world go sideways? So many of us dig deep and desire to respond, act and maybe even make a difference. I know, I get that more than many, as I work with families on the brink of crisis

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Social and communal grief can enrage a community.  We have seen this in the recent police killings–some that were justified and others that were not.  In cases, communal grief can be utilized in a healthy fashion or grief can turn into rage and anger which it is known to do.  This is discounting the the thieves and thugs who have no interest but are merely looking for a reason to break things.

With this in mind, how can we help communities better express their grief?

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

#certifiedgriefcounselor

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

#certifiedgriefcounselor

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