Bereavement counseling: emotional support you deserve

Losing someone we love or something we value greatly, is devastating. Aside from being a heart-wrenching experience, it’s often coupled with extreme emotions that erupt unexpectedly. The period of intense grief and mourning that we find ourselves going through after this type of emotional distress, is what’s referred to as bereavement. It’s not an easy process but it is one that’s totally normal and natural. It’s also a healthy means to understanding more about ourselves and learning how to best manage the intensity of our feelings over time.

If you find yourself stuck in a rut of mental and emotional chaos, bereavement counseling could be worth exploring as a way to help you tap into self-compassion so you can gently process your grief.

What causes bereavement?

While we all have and unique emotional reactions, here a few common circumstances that could cause the onset of grief:

• Physical loss due to death
• The end of a relationship
• The sudden loss of a job
• Moving away to a new location

How do we express intense grief?

You may experience intense grief as a mental/psychological, physical, social or emotional reaction.

Mental reactions

could include intense anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness and despair.

Physical reactions

can include sleeping problems, changes in appetite, physical problems or even illness.

Bereavement & peer counseling: What’s the connection?

Think of online peer counseling for grief as a tool to help you process your loss. Getting support through this challenging time can help you explore your distressing and confusing feelings in a safe, judgement-free virtual environment. You can do it alone or opt to do grief counseling as a couple or even a family. The most important aspect of these sessions is connection, because that’s what’ll allow you to feel comfortable, safe and give you the space to express yourself.

Deal with bereavement on your terms

At Peer Collective, we believe in pairing skills and expertise with personality and first-hand experience. You can pick your peer counsellor based on the traits you seek, and you can set up sessions according to a schedule that works for you. Want to take a breather or a break? No worries. Choose a new counselor? Go for it. This is a healing process that needs to work for you. It doesn’t mean we love those we’ve lost any less or diminish our feeling for them, it just means we’re able to cope a little better every day and show up, in spite of the sadness.

We want you to feel comforted by the fact that there’s a whole community of Peer Collective counselors right here you can turn to at any time. Until then, be assured that you’re not being dramatic. You’re not to blame. And most of all, you’re not alone.