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Grief Counseling Methods

Grief counseling is a form of psychotherapy that helps people deal with the death of a loved one. Grieving is a normal emotional process, and grief counseling seeks to help people move through that process in a healthy manner. Grief counselors help mourners identify and confront feelings of loss, accept the loss, and move forward. Grief counseling may occur after the death of a loved one, or during the final stages of a terminal illness.

  1. Individual Counseling

    • Grief counseling can be conducted one-on-one between the grieving person and a psychologist, social worker or clergy member. This type of counseling can target the individual issues and feelings of the mourner regarding his relationship with the deceased and personal reaction to the loss. The counselor can develop coping strategies that are specific to the individual and best suited to his needs, including behavioral strategies. The counselor may work with the mourner's physician in the case of physical symptoms, such as insomnia or loss of appetite.

    Group Counseling

    • In group grief counseling, the therapist works with a group of mourners, often people experiencing the loss of a loved one together, such as the family of the deceased. Group grief counseling has the benefit of community. People can share their feelings about the deceased with each other and give each other support throughout the grieving process. Group grief counseling also encourages mourners to benefit from their relationships with each other and their shared experience. It can also address differences in people's mourning styles and encourage fellow grievers to empathize with each other even when they do not approach the loss in the same way.

    Grief Counseling Support Groups

    • Grief counseling support groups, in which grieving people do not necessarily know each other, meet informally to work through their grief together. These groups may be offered by community groups, religious centers, health facilities or other organizations. They may be led by a lay person who is also a member of the group or by a professional counselor. Grief counseling support groups offer the opportunity for people to meet others dealing with similar issues. For example, support groups may be offered for people dealing with death of a loved one from cancer, the death of a child or the suicide of a loved one. Support groups can help mourners who feel alone or misunderstood to find others who have gone through a similar experience. Members can gain emotional strength and validation through sharing their experiences with others and hearing about people who have dealt with similar types of loss.

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