Grief therapy refers to the form of psychotherapy which aims to help an individual face and overcome a loss, primarily of a loved one, in a healthy way.
Since the death of someone we loveIt is one of the most devastating experiences that we can suffer, and it is one of the greatest challenges that a person faces throughout their life, there are many men and women who need the help of psychology professionals specialized in this field.
Getting over the death of a loved one is a slow process
Statistics show that every year in Spain, around one and a half million individuals experience the loss of a loved one. This painful process, which can lead someone to an existential crisis, requires a more or less long time for emotional balance to be regained.
Although many people face the suffering and complete the process, approximately 10% to 20% They may experience what is known as complicated or pathological grief. : After six months since the death, the individual is unable to overcome the grieving process. This disturbs the normal functioning of his life and behavioral, cognitive and emotional disorders appear.
Typical feelings experienced by grieving individuals and treated by psychologists and psychotherapists specialized in this type of therapy, include sadness, anxiety, anger, loneliness, guilt, isolation or confusion. Likewise, changes at a cognitive, affective and behavioral level also include feelings of disorganization and tiredness, concentration problems, sleep problems, changes in appetite, nightmares or constant thoughts about the deceased.
The purpose of grief therapy is to help restore patients’ emotional balance through the process of psychological counseling in which the feelings, thoughts and memories associated with the loss of a loved one are worked on. Although grief can also occur for other types of loss (such as the loss of life goals, ideals, and relationships), this therapy is generally directed toward positive adjustment after the death of a loved one.
Grief therapy allows the patient to understand and recognize the normal aspects of the grieving process, helps them cope with the pain associated with the loss, feel supported in such a delicate moment and important changes in your life and to develop strategies to overcome this situation in a healthy way.
In other words, grief therapy facilitates the subject’s emotional expression about the loss, acceptance of this traumatic event adaptation to life after such a painful situation and helps you cope with the changes within yourself and the environment that surrounds you after what happened.
Why is psychological help so important?
To some extent it is normal that, after the death of a loved one, people suffer an enormous feeling of emptiness, pain and confusion. Now, When these negative reactions last for a long time, they can become pathological.
Additionally, there are certain circumstances in which complications may occur that make the grieving process abnormal. These circumstances may involve the loss of a child, or the loss of a loved one due to an accident or homicide, for example.
In these cases, more extreme responses to loss can be observed, depending on the individual’s ability to cope with the situation, their personal resistance, and the support system available to them.
Each person experiences grief differently. While some cope with this situation and manage to overcome it after a few months, others may feel so unable to move forward that they require the help of a specialist to get back on track and restore balance in their daily routine.
How a psychotherapist can specialize in grief therapy
Without a doubt, grief therapy is also an important challenge for psychologists, who must respond to this need with updated training that allows them to acquire the tools for the identification, prevention and treatment of situations of grief and loss.
Psychologists and therapists who wish to dedicate themselves to this type of therapy, They must complement their university studies with some specialized training action in this area.
Training in grief therapy
Training is given in different cities in Spain to specialize in grief therapy. These courses aim to offer participants the knowledge and therapeutic tools necessary for grief therapy ; and contributes to them adopting a correct attitude towards the patient, which is so important in dealing with this issue.
Students will be able to acquire skills to diagnose and differentiate normal grief from complicated grief and will know the intervention techniques in psychological therapy for their treatment. Not only that, but they will be able to apply these intervention techniques, thanks to the course methodology, which combines theory and practice, and includes, in addition to role-playing and viewing sessions, case supervision.
This theoretical-practical training is designed for the assimilation of the aspects studied, and enables students to deepen the experience and analysis of clinical practice. In short, at the end of the course, students will be able to carry out an adequate diagnostic assessment on their own and will be able to design and implement a therapeutic intervention that takes into account the needs of the grieving patient, their personal characteristics and the context in which they live. the one that takes place.
