 |
Grief and Loss: Another Perspective
Author: Pedro Gondim  | Posted: 30-04-2007 | Comments: 1 | Views: 148 | Rating: (107)  (?) 
Grief and loss is a multifaceted counselling field based on the loss of someone or something. "Grief is our response to loss, particularly the death of a loved one. Grief can affect our thoughts, feelings, behaviours and beliefs, and our relationships with others. Many people experience feelings of sadness and anxiety.
The experience of grief can sometimes feel wave-like; a person may feel that their grief is behind them, but are then surprised when their grief suddenly comes back. It is important to recognise that grief is a normal experience and that the process of grieving does require experiencing the pain of the loss. Grief is a process and not an event. Most people will continue to grieve in subtle ways for the rest of their lives". (Grief explained, 2006).
Another Perspective on Grief & Loss
The assumption that grief is a normal and inevitable process in life has induced some theorists to affirm that all psychological problems result from one or more grief-related processes. In this context, the concept of loss can be re-constructed: it is a condition in life, which could be disturbed equally by the lack of a desired element (such as the presence of a beloved one) or the presence of an undesired element (such as the memory of a traumatic event).
The Origins of Grief
Grief has its roots in the development of society. Humans are social beings, and therefore, have a need to relate to others in their social environment. When this need in not fulfilled a sense of loss and grief is experienced.
Dealing with Grief
Individuals should not try to combat grief, as this will normally lead to frustration and negative behaviour. Grief is a natural and practically inevitable process in our lives. However, dealing with grief is not only practical, but necessary in order to invoke happiness and fulfilment.
Person centred therapy is the first approach used in a case of grief and loss. The counsellor, or mental health professional, will create a supportive environment conducive to expressing emotions.
Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is commonly used in cases of unresolved grief. CBT's approach is based on the theoretical rationale that the way people feel and behave is determined by how they perceive and structure their experience. This therapy proposes that change comes about by changing the client's thinking about the situation. Once the client has perceived loss in a productive way, he or she will be able to control their emotions and deal with grief.
Another strategy to deal with grief is by substitution. The client will develop a set of 'substitute needs' which will serve to fulfil the losses experienced in different areas of life. If the substitute needs are in place, the perception of loss will not exist, and therefore grief will not be as conducive to negative behaviour.
References:
Better Health Channel (2006) Grief explained. Retrieved 20 July 2006 from the World Wide Web: www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Grief_explained?OpenDocument
Subscribe to our FREE eZine.
Rate this Article:
Current: 5 / 5 stars - 3 vote(s).
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/psychology-articles/grief-and-loss-another-perspective-139778.html
|
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means to drive traffic to your website and promote yourself and your business. Join us today - It's Free! |
|
Article Comments
|
|
|
0
1. GUS C BALANQUIT (01:23, 28.10.2008)
|
Related Articles
Stressed Out and Depressed! Can Counseling for Fibromyalgia & Other Chronic Pain Conditions Really Help?
By: Erica Thompson | 29/09/2008 | Mental Health
Stress, anxiety and depression plague sufferers of chronic pain and fatigue! We can get help in managing the mental and emotional issues that make our pain worse. All it takes is the willingness to take first step and ask for help!
The Therapeutic Approach in Counselling
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology
In the context of mental health, therapy has vastly changed over time. Long before the scientific approach to the treatment of mental health prevailed, attempts to discover the underpinnings of the human mind produced a wide range of therapies and theories. For many centuries...
Are People Going Nuts in Rural Areas?
By: malo | 23/10/2007 | Health
Contrary to popular belief, rural environments seem to be more likely to cause someone to develop a mental illness or be deprived of proper therapy. The reasons for this are still unknown, but research is underway to determine if the more prominent theories are correct.
Creating the Counsellor Mindset: a Career Overview
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology
Diverse values, specialist development, varied experiences, a unique mindset - mix it up and include a touch of interpretation and you have a human being with a social outlook. Leveraging differences between people is a daily necessity of living in societies, and leveraging our own perspective of the world – and others in it – is one of the utmost challenges in pursuing a healthy and balanced lifestyle...
Self-disclosure: Underpinnings and Applications
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology
Are you a very important person? Sure you are. The reason for this answer is the same to almost everyone in this planet: we like talking about ourselves, we enjoy being listened, we praise our achievements, and we are very much into introspection. Although we are ultimately social beings, most humans are both consciously and subconsciously determined to improve themselves...
Narrative Therapy: Concepts and Applications
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology
Your life is a narrative, counted and recounted from many different perspectives, and by diverse people. There are settings, themes, characters and plots – just like in any movie, book, historical account or legendary fable. In this article we review the approach of Narrative Therapy and how it can be effectively used by counsellors to assist individuals improve their lives.
Counselling Approaches to Trauma
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology
The word 'trauma' originates from the Greek 'wound', and it refers to both psychological and physiological aspects. Trauma occurs as a result of a serious event and it has deep roots in various levels of the human mind and behaviour...
Coping With Change - Strategies and Approaches
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Self Improvement
Change is a certainty in everyone's life. The manner in which people deal with change also changes. Through learning and life experience, individuals develop varied levels of flexibility towards transition, and these levels commonly dictate the person's ability to productively cope with life's challenges. Thus, readiness and ability to change are popular topics in therapeutic contexts such as counseling, life coaching and mentoring.
Got a Question? Ask.
Ask the community a question about this article:
Frequently Asked Questions
Occupational therapy-what is it how is it ...
By: Linda | 24-10-2008
Occupational therapy-what is it
How is it different than physical therapy
I have lymphoma since having node removed from ...
By: debbie | 24-10-2008
i have lymphoma since having node removed from neck i have unbearable pain in my shoulder has something gone wrong
I am in my late teens. I feel sad and depressed ...
By: lonely | 24-10-2008
I am in my late teens. I feel sad and depressed and somehow lonely. All my friends are involved in clubs and organisations. i dont want to be in them but the fact that i'm not, makes me feel left out. also, all of them have boyfriends and i don't and that makes me feel strange in their company sometimes...
I am a student but I want to become a professional ...
By: Sagar | 24-10-2008
I am a student but I want to become a professional soccer player and I know I have a good chance in it.But I am afraid to tell to my parents especially my father because he has started cracking jokes and discouraging me ever since I failed my 12th.Please help I want to practice and become a soccer player but I cannot express it in front of my father and he always forces me to study.Sometimes I get the feeling that he gets fed up of seeing me because he is always tensed when I see him but he acts calmly in front of my brother
How to deal with a
By: Frank | 23-10-2008
How to deal with a "Jewish Princess"
Can ritalin cause increased hyperactivity and ...
By: john | 23-10-2008
can ritalin cause increased hyperactivity and aggression when first started?
Q&A Powered by: 
Latest Psychology Articles
What Do You Do When Your Spouse Goes to Jail?
By: Jennifer Baxt | 11/11/2008
Are you dealing with your spouse going to jail? How do you cope? Find out how to get help through online counseling if you are struggling with this issue.
Everybody Can Turn Into a Monster
By: David Evangelisti | 11/11/2008
Good people make bad things. We have learnt it by the studies of Zimbardo, Milgram, Bandura and Staub
Viewing Aura Colors Through Biofeedback
By: Temp | 10/11/2008
Many people hear the term "aura cameras" and assume that the technology is false. After all, for years, auras were relegated to the visions of psychics who claimed to be able to see auras around people. This was subject to much criticism from skeptics who were quick to ask for scientific proof that could not be provided by those who had this ability.
Got Persuasion?
By: H. Bernard Wechsler | 10/11/2008
If you discover the difference between Negative and
Positive Feedback, you will double the number of folks
you persuade, influence and convince.
Adolescent Childbearing Factors as Determinant of Safe Motherhood in Abeokuta Metropolis of Ogun State, Nigeria
By: OLADEJI DAVID | 09/11/2008
This study examined the influence of adolescent childbearing factors and safe motherhood in Abeokuta Metropolis, Nigeria.
What the Egyptian Sorcerers Said to Pharaoh Before He Has Killed Them?
By: Safaa Abdel-Aziz | 06/11/2008
the Egyptian sorcerers said to Pharaoh just before he has killed them:
You are vindictive, spiteful, towards us, you are censuring and punishing us, only because we have believed in the signs of Allah, Our Lord, when they came to us.
A Blind Doctor?
By: Thomas Greenslade | 04/11/2008
Even the most brilliant or practical of men make many grave errors because they are in spiritual darkness. They cannot see what is right in front of them. They make fundamental errors and go in completely the wrong direction because they are in darkness. Few people are really helped by their psychological or spiritual counsel. They may be helped just a little, just enough to keep them trusting, and be misled, and even be destroyed because the person they trusted was blind.
The Power of not Accepting What You Experience as Reality
By: Broderick Boyd | 02/11/2008
Not accepting what you are experiencing as reality is a valuable tool because it will help you to discover what you really want in your life and how to get it, it will boost your faith in perusing your goal, and lastly it will make it more difficult for other people and external circumstances to influence you against your will.
More from Pedro Gondim
Ethical Situations in Counselling
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology
A prominent aspect of counsellor training involves the analysis of ethical situations. Counsellors need to be malleable to the variety of situations in which the client's personality traits and environmental circumstances are prominent barriers to the relationship's progress.
Coping With Change - Strategies and Approaches
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Self Improvement
Change is a certainty in everyone's life. The manner in which people deal with change also changes. Through learning and life experience, individuals develop varied levels of flexibility towards transition, and these levels commonly dictate the person's ability to productively cope with life's challenges. Thus, readiness and ability to change are popular topics in therapeutic contexts such as counseling, life coaching and mentoring.
Neuroscience: What is Brain Plasticity?
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Science
Neuroscience has changed considerably in the past 20 years. An example of change over period is the concept of brain plasticity. Brain plasticity refers to the brain's ability to rewire itself, relocating information processing functions to different brain areas and/or neural networks. Two decades ago, it was believed that brain networks were static after its initial formation period. Now that belief has changed...
Tips and Strategies to Build Rapport With Clients
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology
In previous we’ve discussed the 'business-side' of counselling: marketing tips and business guidelines which can help counsellors build a successful practice. Most therapists possess an innate desire to help others, and because of this emotional involvement, sometimes it can be challenging to convert the potential into practical results.
Building a Successful Counselling Business: Tips and Guidelines
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Small Business
In a previous article we discussed the importance and applications of marketing in counselling. There was a particular focus on the initiation of a counselling practice. Although marketing has an important, and often overlooked, role in developing a counselling business, there are several other fundamentals that are just as important to build a successful practice.
Marketing in Counselling: Tips for a Successful Practice
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Small Business
Professionals in the health and allied industries, including doctors, nurses, psychologists, counsellors, social workers, etc, often work from their own self-employed businesses. In Australia, a considerable section of the industry is self-employed, whilst many other professional counsellors who have not yet become their own bosses, aspire to do so. In this article, we discuss one the most critical aspects of starting and perpetuating a business: marketing.
Narrative Therapy: Concepts and Applications
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology
Your life is a narrative, counted and recounted from many different perspectives, and by diverse people. There are settings, themes, characters and plots – just like in any movie, book, historical account or legendary fable. In this article we review the approach of Narrative Therapy and how it can be effectively used by counsellors to assist individuals improve their lives.
Self-disclosure: Underpinnings and Applications
By: Pedro Gondim | 30/04/2007 | Psychology
Are you a very important person? Sure you are. The reason for this answer is the same to almost everyone in this planet: we like talking about ourselves, we enjoy being listened, we praise our achievements, and we are very much into introspection. Although we are ultimately social beings, most humans are both consciously and subconsciously determined to improve themselves...
|
|
Self Improvement 
About the Author:
