What do grief counselors do?

Grief counselors aim to help bereaved clients accept the reality of their loss, navigate the pain it engendered, restore their sense of connectedness and well-being, and adjust to the “new normal” of life. To do this, they may guide clients through mindfulness or journaling exercises, help them reframe their negative thoughts or cognitive distortions related to their grief, or promote acceptance of the loss using ACT-based techniques, among other approaches.

Who can diagnose prolonged grief disorder?

Prolonged grief disorder, sometimes called complicated grief or traumatic grief, is a severe form of grief that persists for six months or longer and severely interferes with an individual’s daily functioning. It can be diagnosed by a licensed mental health professional such as a psychiatrist, a psychologist, or a clinical social worker.

What is the best therapy for grief?

Grief can be effectively treated with many different kinds of therapy. These include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), wherein the therapist can help the client become aware of and challenge their negative thoughts surrounding the loss; Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), which aims to help clients accept negative emotions and cultivate psychological flexibility; and art therapy, which encourages the client to express their grief through art to process it; among others.

Can you overcome grief with therapy?

Grief counseling can be an invaluable tool for helping someone process the loss they experienced and cope with the challenging, often contradictory feelings—including sadness, loneliness, anger, relief, denial, and guilt—that arise as a result. Someone’s grief might not be “cured” entirely; the pain of many major losses will endure in some form even after the sting of acute grief has subsided. This is normal, regardless of whether someone manages their grief on their own or with therapy.