Bereavement Counseling

Grief is a complex, emotional process that involves various forms of expression. Because of the nature of the healthcare industry, nurses and healthcare providers are exposed to death and grief. Furthermore, nurses care for various diverse populations. In order to help others with the grief process, it is important that nurses have a good understanding grief models, as well as an understanding of the role that cultural variation has on the way people express grief.

It is only human and natural to feel hopelessness and despair as one gets closer to the grave. Religion is an important part of coping with this desperateness. Incorporating a deeper understanding and practicing religion helps with understanding life and death. Spirituality may be one of the most important components mental, spiritual and social health as one crawls towards end of life (Dose, (2007). A study by Dose, (2007) looked at experiences of spirituality in older adults at the end of their life, especially those receiving hospice care. Participants were asked about their “spiritual journey”. The study concluded that spirituality is important to most of the participants of the study and shaped their views in terms of correctness and moving on. A view of life in terms of religion and spirituality was important to them as they neared the end (Dose, 2007). They also found that spirituality helped with coping with their pain and reduced the stress of being

As explained in this chapter, an essential part of the ethical practice is to discuss the rights that clients have before starting the session. This is beneficial for clients as they become autonomous of their decisions, and for counselors because they can avoid ethical complaints from their clients. Providing an informed consent document to clients is one of the most important ways of respecting their rights. This document clarifies the boundaries within the sessions, provides general information about the therapeutic process, the benefits and risks of receiving therapy, and informs the client about his/her right of confidentiality, including its limitations and exceptions. In the first meeting with the client, the counselor should provide informed consent either verbally, with a document, or in both ways (Corey, Corey, Corey, & Callanan, 2015).

This article can be used as a way to further support my argument about how most patients don’t utilize all of the benefits that hospice has to offer. There are some cases where people choose not to receive spiritual support due to

The authors argue that spirituality, inclusive of religiosity, is correlated with patients’ experienced depression and anxiety at end of life.

This project is a learning stretch for me because I have never been on the other side of the group grief counseling. I have only been the one who is seeking counseling not the one giving it. It is a big learning stretch for me to take my experience with loss and turn it around into something good for the kids in the community who have lost someone. In the beginning of my project I had the opportunity to attend a grief counseling volunteer class which helped me learn the do’s and don’ts of counseling. This helped me learn how to help the children and I can later apply this learning for my future career.

Ando, M., & Morita, T. (2010). Efficacy of the structured life review and the short-term life review on the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients. Health. 2010;02(04):342–6.

Bereaved individuals are at an extended chance of having mental and physical issues, and prevention and remedy of complicated grief is

In viewpoint, it is essential to be nonjudgmental about an individual’s practice related to death and dying as each person has different views. Therefore, if an individual chooses to uphold confidentiality regarding beliefs, their request should be respected. In experiencing personal loss, grieving relates to all cultures and practices relating to death and dying are a practice of an individual’s personal preference. Therefore, assisting individuals to choose for themselves how their end-of-life wishes should be handled has assisted people to take control over their dying practices related to death and dying and their final scenario (Kail & Cavanaugh, 2013).

Literature review was not extensive for the purposes of this project, but future research may shape the results of this study. An important limitation to consider is that the financial aspect was not researched in depth. It was undetermined how much of the funeral cost would be covered by my life insurance policy, and prices I received from the funeral directors and former pastor were only general estimates. Some funeral expenses were likely not accounted for because of the brevity of the interviews. Another factor to consider is that the interview with my family members was conducted in a single group sitting. Individuals may not have felt comfortable expressing their opinions amongst the group, and group think may have played a role in the answers received. Wishes for my funeral services may also change with the course of time, and some aspects of the funeral may have been forgotten in the initial interview process. Private interviews should be conducted in the future, and the dialogue about death should be ongoing to account for these

While examining the issue related to end-of-life decisions raise both legal and ethical concerns. The issues may be accountable by a number of issues like who the patient is, who has legal competence to determine what course of action is in the best interest of the patient, Pennsylvania state laws, the values of the patient or the patients parents, and the counselor of the patient providing the services. Standard A.9.c reports counselors have the option to break or not break confidentiality in this situation. Throughout the decision making process, Clinical Mental Health counselors need to be engaged in consultation or supervision since the professional has legal, ethical, and moral dirty to warn when the suspect their client may be in danger (Newsome, Gladding, Pg. 68)

Grief is a result of loss; be it a divorce, loss of a pet, home, job, or a relationship, but grief due to death is the most common form, known to mankind. This group will focus on five stages of grief, and the benefits of mourning after a loss. We will explore answers to questions, such as how should Christians grieve after a loss, what is normal in the grief process, and how long should I grieve? We will also discuss their responses to their own personal loss, along with the way that their responses are/were perceived by others in their lives, including family, friends, coworkers, and other Christians. Ultimately, the group member’s own personal experience will become the tool of empowerment that breaks the bondage of other peoples’ expectations of their grief process.

The ten areas included, symptoms, social supports, communication with health providers, spiritual meaning, care needs, end of life plans, economic burdens, sociodemographics, preferences regarding end-of-life care and euthanasia and assisted suicide, and stress of the interview (Ezekiel et al., 2000). The findings from the surveys showed that in hypothetical scenarios, 60.2% of the terminally ill patients supported euthanasia or assisted suicide, despite the fact that only 10.6% of the patients seriously contemplated it for themselves (Ezekiel et al., 2000). Many factors play into individuals choosing not to take their own life, even if they believe that others should have the right to. For example, the patients that had loved ones present in their lives were not as likely to take their own lives, but the patients that were alone, causing them to be depressed, as well as the patients who needed more intense care, were much more likely to see euthanasia or assisted suicide as a legitimate option (Ezekiel et al., 2000). 58.7% of the caregivers supported the use of euthanasia for their patients who were in pain (Ezekiel et al., 2000). After the surveys were completed, follow up interviews were conducted six months later in order to see how the patients and caregivers views might have changed (Ezekiel et al., 2000).

Ethical issues in a counseling practice lay the foundation of a therapist in practice. Ethics are at the center of how the counseling process functions and operates in a successful manner for the clients who seek help in such a setting. In order for the counseling profession to be ethical and hold professional recognition, there are many facets that need to be examined and outlined to make sure all counselors and practitioners are functioning at the highest level and withholding their duties required by the counseling profession. The first introduction so to speak of the area of ethics also happens to be one of the first steps in counseling, which is the informed consent. The informed consent provides the basis of what happens or will be