Grief
be feeling fear because they have been left alone to
cope or because they realize their own mortality.
And they may be experiencing physical symptoms
such as fatigue, nausea, insomnia, aches and pains.
It’s important to tell clients they have permission
to express their feelings (not just during a session)
and they can do this by talking to an empty chair (a
Gestalt technique), or writing a letter to the deceased.
They need to understand that they don’t need to
‘move on’ or ‘get over it’ until they are ready. Grief is
a natural process, it won’t last forever, and the client
will be able to move on when they’re ready. You can
plan ahead with the client for occasions that will
trigger their sad feelings, for example anniversaries,
or visiting places they associate with the deceased,
etc. Let them know that they are allowed to cry when
they’re with you – and they’re also allowed to laugh
– whatever feels right for them. And be prepared
to hear the same story over again. The client is
processing and accepting the death, and repeating
the story helps to lessen the pain of the loss for them.
Of course, it’s never good to start sentences with
“you should”, when suggesting things your client
might do, and it’s worth avoiding platitudes, such as
saying “it’s all part of God’s plan”.
Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD), also called
complicated grief, presents as long-term and severe
grief symptoms. Most people are resilient and start to
move on with their life. However the Helpguide.org
site suggests that after two months there are warning
signs to look out for indicating that people need help.
These are:
? Di?culty functioning in daily life
? Extreme focus on the death
? Excessive bitterness, anger, or guilt
? Neglecting personal hygiene
? Alcohol or drug abuse
? Inability to enjoy life
? Hallucinations
? Withdrawing from others
? Constant feelings of hopelessness
? Talking about dying or suicide.
You may well see people experiencing some of
these di?culties following bereavement.
Going back to resilience, which is sometimes called
hardiness, mental toughness, or resourcefulness, but
whatever term is used, it is refers to an individual’s
ability to cope with stress and adversity. For people
who have su?ered a loss, it’s their abilit ????????)?????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????)????????????????????????????????????=??)??????????????????????????????
????????????)??????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????????????)?????????????????????????????????????????)???????????????????????????????????????????)$????????e????????????????????????????????()I?????????()/?????I???????????=??????????????I?????????%M 8????????????)????????????1????????1????????
??????
?????????4?
????
???4?9?????]????????%??????????????????????5????????%M 8????(??????????)Q???=???M???????M????????? ????? ???????? ???? ??????I????????????????)?????????%M 8???????????????)????????????????????????????????????????????????????????)??????????????????????????????}??????)???????????0???Q??????4??4???]????? ?????1?????? H?????????q??????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????U?????M??????M????????????????t??)?????????A????????????M??????A?????????????????L??????????????????????????????A5 ?????????A5%??????????)???????????0???Q??????4??4???]????? ?????1?????? H?????????q??????????????????????????????????????????????????????)????????????U?????M??????M????????????????t??)?????????A????????????M??????A?????????????????L??????????????????????????????A5 ?????????A5%??????????)????????????????????????A??????????}????????()!??????????Q??????((0