Exploring the Support of Grieving Programs: A Personal and Professional Journey

Losing someone can be very hard; however, especially if they were suffering when they were alive or just didn’t want to live anymore, it is comforting knowing that they aren’t suffering anymore-they are at peace. When my great grandmother was still alive, she was suffering from depression and just wasn’t in good health. Anyone could tell she wanted to die to be with her husband, my great grandfather. Knowing that she is happier now and not suffering anymore, puts me at ease. She lived her life as a strong women and very brave. I am proud to be her great

Grief counseling is a much-needed field in the new millennia. As population grow and expand, races collide in culture, religion, and grief. It is imperative that Pastors, leaders, and average society understand the dynamics of grief and suffering. More important, counselors must learn how to balance their lives and the ones they chose to consul. Grief counselors need to be compassionate, attentive, yet balanced in order to be an effective treatment for their clients.

Have you ever lost a loved one to cancer? Well I have, I lost my grandma to breast cancer in 2012. She was only 64 when she passed away. I found that watching someone you love fight such a horrible disease makes you feel helpless. It makes you feel terrible when you see your loved one lying in a bed dying and there isn’t anything you can do to make it any better.

Throughout her everlasting injury and recovery, someone was always there by her side. From her sister to her husband to her best friend, she always had a companion with her. Lauren was extremely lucky and she realized how lucky she was to have such amazing guardians who gave her endless hope and support. Who knows if she could have made it without her loved ones. Looking back at her injury, Lauren notes,“My guardians - my husband, my parents, and my doctors and nurses- helped to prevent death from stealing me, but only by the narrowest margin” (Manning 91). Also, in a recent New York Times article, Elizabeth Pope says, “Loneliness is a risk factor for functional decline and early death in adults over age 60, according to a University of California, San Francisco study published in July. More than 43 percent of the 1,604 participants reported that they often felt left out or isolated or lacked companionship.” These are two examples that highlight how companionship is essential for one to survive. When one is going through difficult times such as injuries or illnesses, they need a friend or family member to be there with them. Many people out there are dying at a young age because of extreme loneliness and isolation. Humans need each other, especially during times of misery. The amazing people who surround and care for us everyday are truly important and should never be taken advantage

The American Cancer Society (2015) reports some key ways to assist a friend when they are grieving:

Last year was the first time that I experience someone close to me dying and speaking from experience it was very hard our grief council it was just like Nagy and Kubler-Ross the first step is learning how to cope with the loss of grandfather he battled cancer and I had to go on hospice the last few months of life it was very overwhelming and possibly one of the hardest situations that a person has to deal with. At first there is denial which is something that I’ve dealt with personally I continuously tried to find different

For some bereavement is an unpredictable and traumatic experience, the loss of a loved one may evoke in the individual you support, behaviours and emotions you have not seen

**I attended a Tuesday afternoon grief support group at cancer services in January. I felt that this group was very beneficial because it still felt like the holidays. The group I attended was very full. The group consisted of people who were age 50 and up. There were probably around 20 individuals there. There were more females than males; however I was surprised at the amount of men who attended the group. Majority attended because of loss of spouse, there was one lady who was adjusting to the loss of her son. The group dynamic was very respectful, a lot of input, and genuine feelings of care towards each other. They appeared to have developed into their own little family. A lot of people expressed emotion, lots of tears this meeting.

“Ordinary people” everywhere are faced day after day with the ever so common tragedy of losing a loved one. As we all know death is inevitable. We live with this harsh reality in the back of our mind’s eye. Only when we are shoved in the depths of despair can we truly understand the multitude of emotions brought forth. Although people may try to be empathetic, no one can truly grasp the rawness felt inside of a shattered heart until death has knocked at their door. We live in an environment where death is invisible and denied, yet we have become desensitized to it. These inconsistencies appear in the extent to which families are personally affected by death—whether they

Grief groups will be led by two facilitators, at least one of which will be a trained therapist. All facilitators will undergo training at the center via a proprietary training program developed by the Executive Director. Facilitators will come from three sources:

“Bereavement care is an important aspect of hospice care that includes anticipating grief reactions and providing ongoing support for the bereaved over a period of 13 months.” (intermhealthcare.com). When a person has been diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, fear and anxiety come about due to the thoughts of future possibilities. “Taking into account all the potential losses that people my experience throughout the illness process, bereavement begins at the onset of diagnosis and continues after death” (inpracticeafrica). Bereavement care is when family members go through the process of grief and mourning after death. It is important to take into consideration the identification of certain family members that are significantly distressed

Any death is a traumatic event, a major loss that affects every member of the family as well as society (Leming & Dickinson 2011). Coping with loss it’s very important because it allows individuals to express their emotions and to heal their psychological pain. Grievance s a process that helps people deal with loss. Grief is a very powerful emotion that is regularly triggered or encouraged by death (Leming & Dickinson 2011). This process is complex and requires effort and energy from the griever. Coping with any kind of loss takes time and can be challenging. Takes time for someone to assimilated and accept that the other person isn’t there anymore.

Ever noticed an elderly couple performing normal daily activities and think to yourself, what would they do without one another? Many of us have elderly relatives who are either married or have someone with whom they have a tight bond with, such as a best friend, and we believe they keep each other alive. We are all born to die, but how we cope with death is different. When someone dies, persons affected may feel depressed, sad and even angry. Looking at death from a different perspective, such as a loved one going to a better place, instead of a loss can cause relatives to celebrate. This is usually the case when the cause of death is natural. When death of a spouse is because of a traumatic event, love ones are left with

When someone close to you loses a friend or family member, it can be difficult to know the best way to offer support. Many questions come up: how can we help? What should we do?

Family members tend to comfort each other after a tragic loss. Many would comfort us however we soon learned who really cared about us and who did not. I always say when someone dies you see the family's true colors. Following his death I had many father like figures step up to the plate but at the end they had their own families and rarely ever contacted me or my brother again. Uncles and aunts who I rarely ever associated with included me in vacations and sleepovers.Throughout the most difficult time of my life people took me in and raised me as one of their own. For instance my aunt Margaret and uncle Mark have included me in an infinite amount of family vacations and activities, they really care about me and want to see me succeed as an individual. Afterall strangers will step in and give you assistance not for their benefit, but for the benefit of yourself.