Grief Counseling in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Bereavement and grief aren’t light-hearted topics. Bereavement refers to the process of recovering from the death of a loved one, and grief is a reaction for any form of loss. Both encompass a wide range of emotions such as fear, anger and deep, deep sadness. The process of adapting to a loss can dramatically change from person to person, depending on his or her background, beliefs, relationship to the person who’s passed, and other factors.
Common symptoms of grief can be physical, emotional, or social.
A few common symptoms in these categories are:
- Physical
- Crying and sighing
- Headaches
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty sleeping
- Apathy
- Weakness
- Fatigue
- Emotional
- Feelings of sadness and yearning
- Feelings of worry or anger
- Feelings of frustration or guilt
- Social
- Feeling detached from others
- Self-isolation from social contact
- Behaving in ways that are not normal for you
Experiencing grief during difficult experiences is natural and healthy, but sometimes grief can become all-consuming and gravely interfere with a person’s ability to function in everyday life. It’s also common for grief to be an underlying issue for people struggling with substance abuse and mental health disorders.
Grief counseling can take place individuals or in group therapy and be effective for coping with a variety of losses. These losses may include divorce or relationship loss, death, miscarriage, inability to have a child, job loss, or terminal illness in a loved one.
In grief counseling we help patients address the complex emotions surrounding personal loss and grief. Commonly patients feel sadness, regret, guilt, anger, despair, relief, shock, denial, shame, and numbness. Grief counseling sessions are an accepting and nurturing space for patients to safely express emotions and learn to cope with them without judgment. We share my insights and knowledge of attachment theories, bereavement, trauma, and family dynamics. They may evolve into exploring a number of approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy, role-playing, and EMDR, a trauma-focused therapy. This helps clients overcome emotional blocks and move forward in the grieving process.
It’s not uncommon for people in the grips of loss to have started a self-destructive behavior (abuse of substances, food, and/or sex as a coping behavior) for the symptoms of grief. Grief counseling can help them understand why they’ve been using these substances or behaviors to deal with difficult emotions and recognize that they’re not serving them anymore. People learn healthier ways to ease grief and loss. Learning more effective ways to deal with grief and loss comprises a large part of grief counseling. People quickly discover it’s a multi-stage process to effectively overcome grief and loss. We begin with small steps and then progress to others, being mindful that healing from grief and loss can take time. Call us if you would like to explore how to get your life back on track. Grief isn’t something that you should try to battle alone and we are here to help you. If you are experiencing grief-related thoughts, behaviors, or feelings that are distressing, please contact us today so we can schedule your appointment.
Designed Health Options, LLC
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Calls, questions and appointments are welcomed. We’re in Corrales, 8 minutes North of Albuquerque toward Rio Rancho