What Are The Types of Grief Counseling?
Grief is an emotion someone experiences due to sorrow over loss. The loss is usually the death or loss of someone close, but an individual can experience grief at any time for any number of reasons that are considered a devastating loss to that person.
The loss of a pet, the tragic death of a co-worker, or even the loss of a business can trigger feelings of grief. Some may even experience grief at the loss of opportunities — like missing a promotion, realizing you are unable to fulfill a dream, or any form of regret that also pains you as a loss.
It is important to realize that grief is an emotion or a state that a person is-in; it is not the cause of the emotion (the death / trigger), it is the reaction in your mind and body to the trigger. The reaction to the action of loss.
With a wide spectrum of types of grief and triggers for grief, it is important to break out the types of grief counseling to see the commonalities and differences. Therapy and counseling techniques should always be tailored to each induvial and case; however, there are some very common forms of grief therapy that we will touch upon below…
The Stages of Grief:
We will speak a lot about moving through the different phases of grief, so it is important to have an idea of what those phases are. There are 5 phases of grief, though some modalities recognize 7 phases. Most therapists stick with just the 5-phase model, though we will list both below:
The 5 Stages of Grief Vs. The 7 Phases of Grief
The steps are non-linear, meaning people don’t usually go through them in order, and steps can be repeated and progress lost or made toward ultimate acceptance and closure.
Five Stages of Grief:
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- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
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The Seven Phases of Grief:
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- Shock
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance and Hope
- Processing Grief
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Christian Grief Counseling
What is different about Christian Grief Counseling? Christians hold many beliefs, practices, ideas, and ideologies about both life and death. When discussing matters of both life and death with a Christian individual, couple, or family, it is important to have a shared understanding about the basics of the Christian faith.
Though there are many different forms of Christianity (LDS, Catholic, Protestant, etc.), they share many of the same foundations, and are based on the teachings and history of Jesus Christ. A Therapist-patient relationship is often more efficient when the two share a common ground. Sharing a spiritual common ground has helped many therapists and individuals work through a number of problems, especially grief and end of life counseling issues.
The Arizona Relationship Institute employs a diverse staff from a range of cultural backgrounds and faiths. Meet our AZRI Therapists and start your free consultation to begin the process of setting up Grief Therapy with a therapist you like, get along with, and can help you be a better you.
Grief Anxiety Counseling
We started this article by clarifying that a death does not need to have occurred for a person to begin to get feelings of grief. A person only needs to feel a sense of loss for their emotions to turn into grief. Grief Anxiety Counseling is a service we offer at AZRI, and is a prime example of a type of “grief anxiety.” What is Grief Anxiety? It is simply the worry or fear about the deaths of others that manifests itself into grief. A person grieves a family member, friend or loved one before they have died.
This is most common when someone you know is terminally ill. When someone is in the later stages of cancer or a disease in-which death is inevitable, your mind struggles with understanding many aspects of the what is coming and it emotionally manifests as grief and loss. It is important to work through the grief emotions at this time, or the grief could last longer than it should and turn into an ongoing depression or other negative mental health condition.
Hospice Grief Counseling
Those that are terminally ill also need to work through their own set of grief emotions. They too are feeling a great sense of loss and may be grieving their own life, their regrets, the loss of mobility, and other personal losses. Grief Counseling for the Terminally Ill is important for those that have not yet made-peace or are ready to transition from this life. Terminally ill patients can usually get in-person or virtual therapy sessions easily scheduled based on their preference and abilities.
Online and Virtual Counseling Sessions from AZRI Are Available >>
Child Grief Counseling
Specifically, counseling for the loss of a child. We want to again point out that the loss does not mean the death of the child; but may be the loss of a child due to custody issues, parental rights issues, separation of blended families, or even the loss of your child’s innocence (turned to drugs and alcohol, other serious problems).
A parent who loses a child, whether through loss of contact or death, moves through the stages of grief at different speeds; but, it is important for them to move forward through the stages to the point of closure and acceptance. This is the healing process that brings those stricken with grief to a happier life.
Pet Grief Counseling
As living creatures, we form very close relationships with other living creatures. Animals and pets can be our friends, our companions, our sons & daughters, or our brothers and sisters. When we lose those close to us, we always experience grief in some form.
When an individual struggles deeply with grief, it becomes hard for them to concentrate on their own life and make positive decisions. It is at this point that one needs to seek grief therapy to help them move through the steps.
At AZRI, we commonly deal with grief from the loss of pets and animal companions and offer a wide range of available therapy options that can help you find closure and move on from the loss of those closest to you.
Adolescent and Teen Grief Counseling
Children, teens, young adults, adults and the elderly all grieve differently. Grieving has a lot to do with what stage of life you are in. Teens and young adults experience grief in a different way than adults, so it is important that a teen grief therapist has extensive experience with both teen counseling and grief counseling.
Experiencing death during the formative years of life leaves a lasting imprint on a person. It is very important for these emotions and feelings of grief to be dealt with in a positive way in the teen years. Otherwise, complex issues like regret, shame and guilt could negatively affect them in later years.
Adolescent Grief Counselors should help teens to find their own motivations for life through the grief, and move them through the negative steps of grief and into the healing and acceptance phases quickly, but at a comfortable pace for the adolescent.
Grief Counseling for Adults and Families
Loss affects more than just 1 person in most circumstances. A death especially affects all those that have ever interacted with the deceased. In some circumstances it may be best to engage in therapy for more than one member in a single family. Family Grief Counseling is available for families that are interested.
Adults seeking grief therapy and counseling for themselves or for their family should schedule a free consultation to begin the process of healing:
Grief Counseling for Couples
Many couples that enter into couples therapy and counseling come to find that they have unresolved feelings of loss — either from previous individual losses or shared losses. Couples may have lost their own loved ones earlier in life, or are struggling with grief anxiety and aging or terminally ill loved ones. Not only has Couples Grief Counseling helped with underlying marital and spousal issues, but proper grief counseling between couples can ensure that both partners resolve their own griefs and the relationship remains healthy.
Trauma and Grief Counseling
When an individual has experienced past trauma (Traumatic Experiences, Adverse Childhood Experiences [ACEs], etc.) their psyche and mental state has been damaged and there are often lingering effects. Those with PTSD and Trauma should work with therapists and counselors that recognize modern trauma-based therapy and trauma-informed therapy.
Our counselors and therapists at AZRI are not only trained in trauma-specific therapy but have experience in its related psychotherapies (CBT, etc.). It can be very comforting to work through grief with a therapy that has an understanding of the emotions surrounding both trauma and grief.
