How to Find a Qualified Grief Counselor

During such an unfortunate event, powering through the grief journey alone isn’t the most recommended option and you need professional help. This is where a grief counselor comes in handy as they have been trained to understand what you’re going through and help you combat grief in a healthy way.  

Before commencing the regular session, one must think about a few important considerations. It includes: 

• Do you want short-term or long-term counseling as the intensity of emotions starts to dry down after the first few months?  
• Depending on your gender and personal preferences, determine whether you want a male or female counselor to have personal and private sessions with. Many grievers tend to be more comfortable around counselors of the same gender.  
• Also, decide if you want to talk to a therapist of a particular age range since each therapist has their own personality and therapy approaches.  
• Are phone or virtual sessions enough or you need in-person counseling especially in this era of Covid-19 breakout.
• Do you want either one-on-one sessions or group counseling first? Many people prefer a few group therapy sessions before taking the one-on-one sessions.   

Find answers and shortlist the best available options.  

Thanks to the internet, finding a qualified counselor has become easier than ever. You can get in touch with online support groups to get recommendations and referrals. Some of the members of these groups are helpful in themselves in assisting you combat grief and offer virtual sessions – which you shouldn’t be afraid to reach out to – while you can get the details of the best grief counselors near you.   

Their opinions matter as they have already gone through the process you’re currently moving through. Also, use online reviews and feedback of past grievers to single out the best-suited grief counselor.   

Once you have selected a grief counselor, you should look for a few qualities that define a great counselor, which include:   

• Empathetic and professional 
• Friendly and highly trustworthy 
• Must inspire and give hope  
• Great verbal and non-verbal communication  
• Offer flexibility in schedule 
• Their approaches must be in line with your needs and expectations 

These qualities indeed are difficult to evaluate before starting the regular session but online resources and recommendations from friends and online support groups can give a general idea. One may also ask for a couple of trial sessions before landing a final deal.  

And if one is uncomfortable or the counselor doesn’t seem fit to their expectations, there’s always an option of quitting and reaching out to a new one.   

Still couldn’t decide on which grief counselor to reach out to? Seek the easiest way and get in touch with your funeral director. Most directors are trained to help the mourners cope with the loss.  

Additionally, they can also guide you to attend the local seminars and webinars on grief counseling. You can find one at funeral homes Bethlehem, PA.