GRIEF & HEALING

Grief shows in many forms and can take us by surprise. We simply do not know how we will respond to something which has never happened before and the death of an individual is always a unique experience.

We also cannot experience any grief but our own, we cannot have the exact same experience as another. For this reason, when people are grieving, it is important that where possible we give empathy, sympathy and supports enough that they may find their own way through the process.

Young children are often considered to 'not understand what is going on', however, children often know more than they are given credit for. Young children can be quite logical, expected to take life in their stride every day as they develop into an adult. They are often in a better place to manage grief as long as they are involved in the process and as part of the whole grieving group. Sometimes however, children are unaware of the ways in which the grief may be affecting them. For example, when something happens beyond our control, it can cause anxiety and the natural way to manage that anxiety is to try and take back some of that control. Therefore children may become more aggressive or demanding, or they may simply withdraw. 

Those who have a lot of responsibility for the loss of a loved one or for the funeral arrangements of that loved one, may not actually begin fully grieving until days after the funeral and for some even years.

No matter who is involved, it is so important that everyone has access to counselling, whether individual, partnered, family or group. Aside from individual practitioners of grief counselling, larger services in Australia include Grief Australia, Hope Bereavement care, Griefline, The Compassionate Friends Australia and The National Association for Loss and Grief.