Bereavement Counseling

Losing a loved one can be a traumatic situation in anyone's life. The bereavement process can take a tremendous toll on a person. There are no gender, age, sex, color or religion specifics that dictate the length of grievance, it all depends on the individual. The loss of loved one brings grim magnitudes for the body and the emotional state of a person and can sometimes be so extreme that it can alter the health of a human being. Grief counseling eases the bereavement process by providing patients many methods that will assist in dealing with the pain throughout their life. In multiculturalism people deal with the loss of a loved one in many forms, what may seem barbaric for one culture is normal in another and what a counselor may suggest

Death is inevitable. It is one of the only certainties in life. Regardless, people are often uncomfortable discussing death. Nyatanga (2016) posits that the idea of no longer existing increases anxiety and emotional distress in relation to one’s mortality. Because of the difficulty in level of care for end-of-life patients, the patient and the family often need professional assistance for physical and emotional care. Many family caregivers are not professionally trained in medicine, and this is where hospice comes into play. Hospice aims to meet the holistic needs of both the patient and the patient’s family through treatment plans, education, and advocacy. There is a duality of care to the treatment provided by hospice staff in that they do not attempt to separate the patient’s care from the family’s care. Leming and Dickinson (2011) support that hospice, unlike other clinical fields, focuses on the patient and the family together instead of seeing the patient independent of the family. Many times in hospitals, the medical team focuses solely on the goal of returning the patient back to health in order for them to return to their normal lives. They do not take into account the psychological and spiritual components of the patient’s journey and the journey that the family must take as well. For treatment of the patient, Leming and Dickinson agree that hospice does not attempt to cure patients, and instead concentrates solely

Loss is a phenomenon that is experienced by all. Death is experienced by family members as a unique and elevated form of loss which is modulated by potent stages of grief. Inevitably, everyone will lose someone with whom they had a personal relationship and emotional connection and thus experience an aftermath that can generally be described as grief. Although bereavement, which is defined as a state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one, is a universal experience it varies widely across gender, age, and circumstance (definitions.net, 2015). Indeed the formalities and phases associated with bereavement have been recounted and theorized in literature for years. These philosophies are quite diverse but

Grief counseling is a division of social work that involves the interpersonal aspect of the social worker’s role as expert in coping with death. In this paper I will define grief counseling and some ways to cope with loss. Next I will discuss the history and seven stages of grief. There are two main forms of grievers which are intuitive and instrumental. In addition there are four major types of grief which are acute, anticipatory, sudden and complicated. The helping process is explained as well as some disorders related to grief. A current trend for grievers is to seek involvement in programs such as the Canadian Cancer Society, Missing Children of Canada and Victim Services. These organizations provide counseling services and crisis

It is only human and natural to feel hopelessness and despair as one gets closer to the grave. Religion is an important part of coping with this desperateness. Incorporating a deeper understanding and practicing religion helps with understanding life and death. Spirituality may be one of the most important components mental, spiritual and social health as one crawls towards end of life (Dose, (2007). A study by Dose, (2007) looked at experiences of spirituality in older adults at the end of their life, especially those receiving hospice care. Participants were asked about their “spiritual journey”. The study concluded that spirituality is important to most of the participants of the study and shaped their views in terms of correctness and moving on. A view of life in terms of religion and spirituality was important to them as they neared the end (Dose, 2007). They also found that spirituality helped with coping with their pain and reduced the stress of being

This article can be used as a way to further support my argument about how most patients don’t utilize all of the benefits that hospice has to offer. There are some cases where people choose not to receive spiritual support due to

There is not a single meaning to the word grief. It feels different to every person who experiences it.

This project is a learning stretch for me because I have never been on the other side of the group grief counseling. I have only been the one who is seeking counseling not the one giving it. It is a big learning stretch for me to take my experience with loss and turn it around into something good for the kids in the community who have lost someone. In the beginning of my project I had the opportunity to attend a grief counseling volunteer class which helped me learn the do’s and don’ts of counseling. This helped me learn how to help the children and I can later apply this learning for my future career.

Ando, M., & Morita, T. (2010). Efficacy of the structured life review and the short-term life review on the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients. Health. 2010;02(04):342–6.

The authors argue that spirituality, inclusive of religiosity, is correlated with patients’ experienced depression and anxiety at end of life.

Informed consent is one of the initial steps in the therapy and any medical practice. According to ACA Code of Ethics (2014) A 2 b counselors should inform the client regarding to “purposes, goals, techniques, procedures, limitations, potential risks, and benefits of services; the counselor’s qualifications, credentials, relevant experience, and approach to counseling; continuation of services upon the incapacitation or death of the counselor; the role of technology; and other pertinent information”. Clients have a right to decide to next step in light to this information. Personally, I do not have much experience with informed consent, because confidentially still is upsetting issue in my country, Turkey. Except the mental health field, it is not commonly performed

For health care providers to deliver the best holistic care that patients deserve, a thorough spiritual assessment must be included during their care. With more research showing a relationship between supporting a patient’s spirituality with their health and ability to cope with illness, it is now a requirement of organizations to include a spiritual assessment to maintain accreditation with The Joint Commission. The minimum required of a spiritual assessment by The Joint Commission is to determine the patient’s religion and

The first ethical issue included in the guide for the psychological help agency is Informed Consent. Given that employees working in the agency may often service in forensic matters, it is imperative to respect constitutional rights, liberties and properties of each client (Agre & Rapkin, 2003). Some experiences of clients may be very traumatic and stressful, so many of them may not desire to reveal confidential information to the public. Therefore, all professionals involved in the agency should respect rights of each patient and follow corresponding APA instructions. Informed consent is included in the APA code of ethics, which emphasizes its significance in psychological work (APA, 2010). According to the code, psychologists should obtain the

Traumatic life event such as death of a child and financial issues can contribute to depression. Also, grieving is a process that can be extended, exaggerated and lengthened especially when it involves a sudden and tragic loss of a child. Mr. Andrew would benefit from a grieve counseling and provide should arrange a referral to a grieve counselling. In addition, he should learn positive coping strategies which can reduces his stress level. Mr. Andrew may benefit from information about resource available in the community to reduce family financial difficulties such as assistance with prescriptions and counselling.

Ethical issues in a counseling practice lay the foundation of a therapist in practice. Ethics are at the center of how the counseling process functions and operates in a successful manner for the clients who seek help in such a setting. In order for the counseling profession to be ethical and hold professional recognition, there are many facets that need to be examined and outlined to make sure all counselors and practitioners are functioning at the highest level and withholding their duties required by the counseling profession. The first introduction so to speak of the area of ethics also happens to be one of the first steps in counseling, which is the informed consent. The informed consent provides the basis of what happens or will be