Equipping yourself to do Grief Counseling
Grief is a process that comes with a loss and many individuals need help to face it. Counseling is one way of helping individuals who have suffer loss to grief and come through successfully.
Individuals must realize that everything in life can be changed but nothing can be change until you face it.
To successfully help individuals grieve the counselor must realize that people hurt from loss, loss of everything and anything no matter how insignificant it may seem to you.( money , health, persons, things, love , pet, car. etc)
As counselors you must answer these questions in order to be able to help someone else. • What in your life have you not grieved for? • Have you grieved yourself? You must ,before you can really help others • Can you become emphatic with people? • Are you able to face your lion?
What is
Grief Counseling
• Counseling is a passing on of and collaboration of confidential information and trust . between both parties • However the counselor will have to report planned or executed suicide or murder
• Counselor must be sure to position himself that he will be unharmed during grief counseling. There must be a desk separating the individual and an escape route. The roll of the Counselor
• Is to use psychological principles • Help people understand their difficulties
• To provide support
• To help people find solution to their problems
When trying to help someone who is grieving you will face the why question. This is a search for meaning. You must realize that most of the “why” questions are answerable only by God. When asked the “Why” question it is an indication that the individual is not yet ready to accept the situation. When the individual ask the “what” or” how” questions this person is now ready to move on. You must learn how to deal with people without injecting”God Knows statements”
What to expect as a Grief counselor
• Expect the unexpected • To answer questions
• To be an understanding counselor • Not to pass judgment
• To get help to grow • To leave feeling better
• listen and have someone listen to you. • To have someone talk back to you
What Can The Counselor do to Prepare For Grief Counseling
• Be clear about reason why you chose to undertake this counseling
• Know what you want to get out of the counseling session
• Know what are your objectives
• Be realistic and specific about expectations ( happiness, or not feeling happy)
• Be willing to engage in counseling
• Have a plan to achieve your goal
• Consider if you are ready for grief counseling ( time, Emotions)
• Know if it is your desire to change something
• Know if it is your desire to improve mental well being
• Know the challenge you need to change
• Know if you are wiliness to talk about your feeling, and your life experiences
Contact with client
• The first Initial assessment and contact should be about 30 minutes.• The assessment can take up to 4 weeks.
• At the end of assessment contact client and give feedback about the suitability for counseling.
• Set up a commencement time and frequency of contact
Grief Counseling for Children
Counseling children can be very critical and sometime should be left to professionally trained individuals, but in case you must. Here are some guidelines
• You must have the permission of parents to counseling their children
• Children must be counseled with parents initially then
• Child alone
• Parents alone
• Parents and child.
The real value of Counseling is (P.U.S.H- Probe until something happens)
Referrals
• When thinking of referral these should be written or on specially prepared forms• Oral by telephone or personal contact
Who can do referrals This can be done by you , parent , teachers, pastors, child person of concern.
This is submitted to social worker or the follow agencies or to other people with expertise. Places to refer people for support in Jamaica
C.D.A Child Development agency
Clinical Psychology (Clinics ,hospital. Private or public)
Family therapist
(Family Court Offices)
Guidance Counselors (Schools and Churches)
Victim Support Units People Who Grieve Feel Lonely
Here are some scripture to give the people who grieve
Psalm. 30:5
Isaiah.41:10
Isaiah. 43:2
Rev. 21:4
Isaiah 33:24
Corn/15:54