The powerful feelings and emotions surrounding the loss of a loved one or the loss of a valued part of life such as work can feel overwhelming. Grieving is a natural process of expressing these feelings so that eventually we can come to terms with the loss. Often grieving happens naturally with the support of friends and family and does not need bereavement counselling.

However we can become stuck at any stage in the grieving process and find ourselves unable to move forward, feeling overwhelmed by anger or despair. It is at these times that bereavement counselling can be very helpful in providing a safe place to express feelings and as a way of preparing to move forward.

Grief is commonly associated with the death of a loved one but of course loss and grief are also experienced in response to for example: redundancy, divorce or separation, adolescents leaving home, transitions into mid-life and old age, a house move, loss of status or loss of a pet. Any of these events can feel like a bereavement which needs to be worked through.

The grieving process can take a varying lengths of time and is very individual depending upon the nature of the loss and the significance of the lost person or thing. Sometimes when grieving has not begun following a loss, the feelings can become buried and then erupt some time later unexpectedly. Bereavement counselling can help in this instance to make sense of the feelings and emotions when friends and family can find it difficult to understand our grief so long after the loss.

Grief and Bereavement Counselling