Losing someone that you deeply care for can be devastating. The feeling is an overwhelming one, and it’s characterized by extreme sadness, anger, shock, guilt, and often, physical signs such as nausea, fainting, and insomnia.

Other than losing a loved one, grief is also associated with divorce, loss of a job, loss of a pet, and trauma. The medical solution for grieving is a therapy called Grief Counseling. In Burnaby, there are several grief therapists who offer this service.

Here is the guide to help you understand what Burnaby counselling services that specialize in grief offers so that you can make a decision as to whether or not to opt for this type of counseling.

Understanding the Stage of Your Grief

Elisabeth Kubler-Rose came up with five stages of grief in 1969. Most grief therapists in Burnaby will walk with you through these stages. They are:

1. Disbelief: Some call it the Denial Stage. In this stage, you find it hard to accept the loss.

2. Anger: Once it dawns that the dead is no more, you feel anger and look for someone to blame.

3. Bargaining: This is the point that you start asking “What if scenario A or B did not happen?”

4. Depression: Here, you feel really stressed about the experience.

5. Acceptance: This comes last as you learn to concede that the loved one is no more.

While there are some people who go through each stage once, others will repeat some.

Learning the Grieving Behaviors

As mentioned earlier, grief is not just about feeling sad. It’s accompanied by emotional responses that are part of a behavior we call Intuitive Grieving. In this case, you mostly share your feelings about the deceased through expressions. There is also another group of grieving behaviors called Instrumental Grieving where you try to find a solution and not give in to emotional responses.

Developing the Recovery Strategies

Most grief counselling Burnaby experts have the responsibility of helping you recover from the loss. For example, the therapist will help you:

• Engage in creative disciplines such as sports, music, and art.

• Get enough sleep and eat well.

• Talk liberally about the departed.

• Overcome the guilt.

• Build patience to recover from the loss.

Grief counseling has a wide range of benefits—it can help you navigate some of the hardest parts of your life. With the above guide, you now know what to expect when you join a grief counseling session in Burnaby. With the expert on your side, the process towards recovery is a little easier.