This Is How You Can Find The Best Grief Counselor
When people lose someone they love, they go through the usual process of grieving. Now, it depends on each person how long he or she will undergo this process. There are people who can easily move on after the death of a loved one. But there are others who find it difficult to get back their emotional balance and spend more time in grief and stress. If you find yourself spending more time grieving than getting on with the rest of your life, you need a grief counselor. And for your good, you should not just settle with anyone but only the best grief counselor you can find. Here are some tips on how you can find the best grief counselor in your local area.
Why A Grief Counselor Is important?
Perhaps you think that using a grief counselor is not that important. This person’s importance is hinged on the process of grieving. Typically, the grieving process rolls out in five phases. The first phase is denial. When people lose someone they love, they initially deny that it didn’t happen. When they have gotten over this stage, they then enter into the anger phase. They may turn their ire into someone or something and blame them for the loss. The third phase is the bargaining process. At this stage, the grieving person tries to take back his or her life to normalcy as best as he or she could.
When the effort seems to be fruitless, the person enters into the next phase, depression. He or she worries, frets and looks bleakly at what the future holds. The fifth and last phase is acceptance. This is the stage where the grieving person learns to accept the death of a loved one. But this doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she is already happy. This is why having a grief counselor who will guide the grieving person through these different phases of grieving is very crucial, especially if the person’s grieving is considerably more pronounced than what is normal.
How To Find The Best Grief Counselor
Being aware of your need for a grief counselor is different from finding the best in your local area. Here are some tips on how you can find the best grief counselor that can guide you through the grieving process successfully.
- Look for credibility
No one can be an effective grief counselor until he or she is trained and certified. Therefore, you must check the person’s credibility. Credibility comes in many forms. One of them is the school credential. Does the grief counselor hold a degree that will qualify him to be one? But a degree is only the start. The next thing you have to check is if he or she is certified or licensed by the proper governing institution or authority of the land. And that’s not the last thing. You should also check if he or she has the pertinent experience to back up his claim that he or she is a bona fide grief counselor. If the counselor has at least these three qualifications, then your choice is safe. If the counselor holds a doctorate or a master’s degree, then that would be better.
- Look for honesty and integrity
How does it feel when you sit for counseling with this grief counselor? You should at least be comfortable when you sit for counseling with this person. He should project the image of honesty and integrity so that it wouldn’t be hard for you to give him or her your confidence. If you don’t feel you are comfortable, then you have to look for another one.
- What is his or her attitude towards you?
The way the grief counselor looks at you will mean a lot in your getting out of your grieving process successfully. Does he or she looks at you as someone who needs help and comfort? Or does the grief counselor consider you as just one of his or her paying clients? You should see some inkling on his or her attitude towards you while you are undergoing the counseling process.
- Do you find yourself relying too much on your counselor?
If you do, then you have not chosen a good grief counselor. Good counseling will help you solve the problems yourself and not be dependent on anyone to solve them. So, if you are too dependent on your grief counselor to soothe your feelings and settle your emotions, you will still have your problems when he or she is not around. Choose someone who will encourage you to use your own resources to solve your problems.
