Grief and Loss

Grief and Loss tend to co-exist as twin towers of debilitation, negatively affecting mental wellness. A loss causes grief, and grief is usually born from a change in circumstances surrounding a loss of health, youth, relationships, loved ones, jobs, homes, income, or sometimes even a country. Although it is common to suffer loss throughout our lives, it is how we deal with the ensuing grief that determines positive outcomes. Counselling grief is a matter of working together with a client to identify the stages of normal grieving, until a realisation of why a person is reacting in a particular way, is reached. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are normal stages of the grieving process. Supporting a client through emotional upheaval is the basis of establishing strategies for coping, and understanding the connections between biological, psychological and social aspects of grief and loss.