Grief Counselor
CAN GRIEF COUNSELING HELP YOU?
Dealing with the loss of a loved one is never easy. When the loss involves someone you are especially close with or hits you especially hard, it might be difficult to figure out how you’re going to move on without that person in your life. Whether you’ve noticed you’re having trouble dealing with the loss or friends and family have pointed out that you’re not the same, talking to a grief counselor can help. At Sunset Community Counseling, you can get the help you need to handle the grief.
WHAT IS GRIEF COUNSELING?
Grief counseling is therapy designed specifically for those who are going through a loss, usually one that was recent. These therapists understand the stages of grief and the different techniques that can help. This type of therapy will not make the person forget the person they lost, won’t skip over the pain of the loss, and doesn’t change how difficult it can be to move on. It helps the person through the process so they are not alone when dealing with grief.
Sunset Community Counseling offers specialized therapy for those who are dealing with grief. Their goal is to create a safe place for others to grow psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually. Grief counselor Sandra L. Hammond from Sunset Community Counseling offers a unique and practical approach to therapy. She has degrees in accounting, Christian studies, and community counseling and is a licensed professional counselor in Colorado, a certified life coach, and a certified practitioner of MBTI. She has over 20 years of experience providing both emotional and spiritual support and it is her goal to provide the best care during grief counseling.
Sandra’s approach includes the Grief Timeline to help her clients begin to experience what has shaped their lives. She works to assist her clients through this with compassion and as a confidential confidant so her clients can feel free to discuss everything with her as they work through this process. Understanding the challenges her clients often face, she works hard to make sure she’s available whenever they need her assistance. Sunset Community Counseling now offers home visits as a result, allowing her to meet with clients in their own home where they may be more comfortable.
Sandra Hammond
CO LICENSED PROFESSIONAL COUNSELOR M.A., LPC
WHAT GRIEF COUNSELING DEALS WITH
Grief counseling is designed to help clients accept the reality of the loss, deal with trauma from the loss, express emotions, overcome guilt, and deal with life changes. The first goal is to help the client understand they have suffered a major loss and it’s okay to go through the grief timeline as they recover. Many people do not know how to handle major losses or how to go through the stages of grief, and a counselor can help with this.
As Sunset Community Counseling, clients receive help with the trauma they’ve experienced because of their loved one’s death and get help learning how to express their emotions surrounding the grief. They receive the full support of their counselor and will be able to discuss anything with their counselor as they move through the stages of grief and gain acceptance of what has happened and how it has changed them.
Clients also receive help learning how to cope with life changes and assistance in building a new support system to help them with anything they’ll need in the future. If the person they lost was their spouse or someone else they depended on for support, they’ll learn how to deal with this major life change and find community resources that can help them learn how to handle everything on their own. All of this is designed to help them remember the loved one they have lost and learn how to move forward without their loved one by their side.
TECHNIQUES USED IN GRIEF COUNSELING
Grief counseling involves a variety of different techniques to help clients through the grief process. At Sunset Community Counseling, counselors may use different techniques when they’re working with clients to make sure they can get the help they need and start to move forward. Some of the techniques may include talking in a quiet, calming place, describing the moment of loss and using the right words to describe the loss, and talking about past losses. The counselor will check for signs of depression and help clients work through any signs of depression they might be feeling.
A major part of the therapy offered is that counselors will give their clients permission to grieve. For many people, it can be hard to do this alone as they might not really feel they can give themselves permission to grieve for the person they lost. The counselor will also help them set goals that help with the major life changes they’ll go through as a result of the loss. These are both crucial parts of the grief process and designed to give clients the assistance they need to work on moving forward.
POSSIBLE SUGGESTIONS TO HELP DEAL WITH GRIEF
While working with clients, counselors at Sunset Community Counseling will often employ different suggestions designed to help clients work through their grief. This could include writing a letter to the deceased, journaling about anything they might want, creating a memory book about their loved one, or sitting down and visualizing the resolution of unfinished business. Counselors may also try role-playing to help with dealing with the loss or help the client create a remembrance ritual they can use in memory of their loved one.
Dealing with grief can be difficult, but you are not alone. If you have lost a loved one and you’re feeling overwhelmed or lost, talk to a grief counselor today. Sandra at Sunset Community Counseling can help you work through the grief timeline and help you as you learn to deal with the grief you’re experiencing. Contact Sunset Community Counseling today to set up your first appointment and see the difference it can make to have a counselor help you through the grief process. They’re there to help you.