Grief Counseling
GRIEF COUNSELING
Lacamas Counseling Serves Vancouver, Camas, Washougal Washington and the surrounding areas
Grief is the time following a death or other significant loss (e.g. divorce, disability) that can include varying emotions of sadness, withdrawal, confusion, anger, and acceptance. Grief is a natural response to a loss. Grief is different than Major Depressive Disorder because the person will keep their self-esteem intact and will still be able to remember some positive memories.
Grief becomes clinically significant when it impacts your ability to function at home, school, or work, or in your relationships. In some instances, complicated grief may be a component of a mental health disorder.
Grief Symptom Self-Check
Have you experienced a recent loss or death?
Are you crying all the time?
Do you feel confused about life, meaning, and purpose?
Are you angry at the death, the deceased person, the survivors, or God?
Are you having a difficult time focusing and concentrating?
Do you feel alone?
Have you lost interest in your normal activities?
Have you started isolating or withdrawing from your family or friends?
Treatments for Grief
Grief can be treated and it’s important to work with a professional to help identify an effective treatment plan. Treatment for grief can include:
- Counseling
- Medications (e.g. antidepressants)
- Group counseling
- Social support
- Education and empowerment
- Self-care (sleep hygiene, exercise, nutrition)
- Stress management and reduction
- Increase in pleasurable activities
- Self-reflection (mindfulness, meditation, journaling, gratitude)
- Spiritual integration (prayer, faith groups)
- Cognitive processing (identify losses, address guilt or blame, acceptance)
- Remember and respect the deceased
If you are experiencing any symptoms of grief that are impacting your well-being and functioning, please connect with Lacamas Counseling for professional therapeutic support to address and alleviate your symptoms of grief.
Additional Resources:
Mental health diagnoses related to grief include:
ADJUSTMENT DISORDER
Unusual difficulty adjusting to a specific stressor with significant emotional or behavioral symptoms.
MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER
A depressed mood or lack of interest or pleasure in activities, with possible feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, or excessive guilt, possible thoughts of death or suicide, as well as significant changes in weight, appetite, sleep, energy, motivation, physical activity, and/or concentration.