Bereavement counselling can be a very important part of the bereavement process. When someone close to us dies, many of us will face what is one of the most psychologically distressing experiences we will face.

Grief is a profoundly individual experience, and there is no ‘normal’ or ‘correct’ way to grieve. How we respond to grief will be influenced by a wide range of factors, including age, culture and religious beliefs, or whether we have ever been bereaved. Bereavement counselling can help you come to terms with your loss often; talking to a professional enables you to deal with the grief you’re experiencing at this difficult time.

The death of a loved one or significant person can leave us devastated, wondering how to deal with our loss. Grief is one of the most common reasons people seek therapy. While grieving and bereavement are normal and often inevitable life experiences, Bereavement Counselling and Psychotherapy can help with this painful loss experience.

The typical feelings we associate with grief are, for example:

These are normal feelings and should pass gradually, provided you have the time to grieve.
Clients will often be concerned with how long they will feel the often debilitating effects of intense grief. Feeling perhaps overwhelmed by their loss, they wish to know if they will be able to manage at all. There is no simple answer to how long grief will last. You might say it never leaves us. However, the hope is that we learn to live with our loss and manage our grief.
Sometimes, we may experience Complicated Grief, where the debilitating feelings of grief do not pass or lessen in impact. Sometimes, these feelings may even seem to sharpen or intensify.

You may have trouble carrying out normal, everyday tasks, or withdraw from activities that you once found enjoyable and rewarding. Or, for example, you may even feel;

Complicated Grief is a challenging experience for anyone, but it does not mean there is anything ‘wrong’ with you or how you are grieving. You may, however, benefit from speaking to an experienced therapist or counsellor who can help support you through the painful experience of coming to terms with your loss.