Therapy for Grief

Group therapy is often used for grief because peer counseling and relationships with others who can empathize with one’s loss reduces the feeling of isolation that can result from grief. Group therapy is often moderated by a health professional or counselor. Group therapy for grief is different from many other forms of group therapy. This is because the goal is not to change an unwanted behavior or addiction. Instead, the goal is to ‘be there’ for a person and empathizing with exactly what they are feeling.

For example, when a person loses a loved one, he or she may receive a sudden influx of support and attention from friends and family. However, most friends and family will often move on after a few weeks, especially when the loss has no direct effect on them. Unfortunately, for those of us who have experienced long-term grief, those few weeks are simply not enough. This is where group therapy comes in. Group therapy offers the time and compassion for that person to continue the grieving process that is unavailable from friends and family.

When is grief counseling necessary?

Grief counseling becomes necessary when a person is so disabled by their grief, overwhelmed to the extent that their normal coping processes no longer work. People who have reached this point often feel sadness, anxiety, anger, loneliness, guilt, isolation, confusion, numbness, and feel unable to express their emotions.

Why group therapy?

In group therapy you can:

Learn more about how you are perceived by others
Experience a sense of acceptance and belonging
Discover that you are not alone in the grief you are feeling
Hear ideas from others which enhances your ability to make decisions and solve problems
Benefit from the experience from helping others
Learn to constructively express your feelings and ideas to others
Gain encouragement by observing the successes of others

Group therapy is also beneficial because, oftentimes, some subjects of grief are difficult to bring up to close ones. We worry about how we will be judged and how they will view us. This feeling is amplified by the fact that, oftentimes, we are not ready to move on from our grief, while others feel they have too many problems at hand already to continue listening to ours. Grief can be all-encompassing,

Although the goal of group therapy for grief is not to bring about the healing process quicker, that is often the result. Talking about one’s fears, and receiving constructive feedback and similar experiences, can bring peace to a patient much more quickly than if they are left to struggle on their own. Grief is a multi-faceted, but normal, response to a loss and should be treated as one. It can spiral out of control when limited support is available. These effects can pour over to family, friends, and affect your work performance. While some are able to work their way through grief alone, others may slide into a never-ending cycle unless they get intervention. It is important to remember – You are not alone.

Tim Du
Counselor Network Writer