What is grief counseling education?

At any point in life, we may suffer loss and subsequent grief from a variety of sources, including death of a loved one, divorce, separation, or even natural disasters. Over the last few decades, professionals have become more sensitive to the experiences of grief and the ways in which others can be helped in navigating these life passages more safely.

Grief counseling(also known as "bereavement counseling") education can be key in developing a more comprehensive understanding of the bereavement processes and the various approaches for offering valuable assistance. The emphasis is on helping persons work through normal grief as noted below.

In terms of occupation, you do not need to be a therapist to have frequent contact with individuals who are suffering from grief. Social workers, ministers, physicians, nurses, funeral service directors, funeral assistants, and others often have to work directly with the bereaved and can benefit from training. Otherwise it can be hard to know what to say or what do in such difficult moments, or we may impose our own particular and narrow ideas on the situation.

What is grief counseling at its best?

When there is a widespread disaster or a personal loss, grief counselors may be called to the scene or made available to help with the recovery process. What makes grief counseling different from other kinds of social support? In its “Field Manual to Grief Counseling Guide,” the NY State Office of Mental Health offers this list of what a grief counselor actually offers:

· Listens in a supportive manner to individuals’ concerns.

· Helps disaster survivors recognize that, in most cases, their emotional reactions are natural, normal, and to be expected.

· Assists survivors to reduce additional stress by organizing and prioritizing day-today and recovery-related tasks.

· Helps individuals to understand and recognize the wide range of reactions to trauma, such as numbness, frustration, confusion, anger, anxiety, sadness, and feelings of helplessness.

· Assists individuals to draw on their own strengths and develop healthy coping mechanisms that permit them to gradually resume their pre-disaster level of functioning.

· Sensitively and caringly helps individuals to grieve their losses in their own unique ways.

· Systematically draws upon an array of recovery resources for appropriate referrals.

Grief counseling education and certification

Grief counseling education equips the counselor to offer all of the above. Coursework and voluntary certification may be offered virtually as well as in face-to-face trainings. Those who are dedicated to providing the highest quality of grief counseling may opt for certification. Certification is often considered “the gold standard” for specialty practices as it testifies and provides a verification of defined educational requirements, adherence to a solid code of ethics, and in many instances prerequisites of practice experience for the practice of grief counseling, bereavement education and facilitation, thanantology and closely related professional services.

Are You Called To Do Spiritual Counseling?

In an age where so many aim for wholeness and personal growth, spiritual counseling

is a very satisfying and growing occupation.

In fact, many helping professionals (e.g., registered nurses, physicians, counselors, counseling psychologists, chaplains, addictions counselors, etc.) often elect to develop their ability to offer spiritual counseling

to meet the needs of their clients or patients to create deeper meaning and joy as whole persons.

In order to be able to serve others ethically and responsibly as a spiritual counselor, there are several personal and professional factors that you should keep in mind. Personal qualities of integrity, authenticity, and compassion are absolutely necessary to be able to help anyone else.

First of all, working as a spirit guide requires you to be committed to your own spiritual growth on a daily basis in order to help others grow. Before you can help others on their life path effectively, you need to be deeply engaged in the deeper questions of life. This can come from daily spiritual practices such as prayer and meditation, as well as

study and reflection of spiritual matters.

It is also common for a person to have a spiritual guide before becoming one. At the very least it makes sense to talk to one or more experienced spiritual counselors and ask them about their work. How did they train? What do they find most rewarding about spiritual counseling? What are the biggest challenges? Are they certified?

While not required, certification can be an asset in a field as it demonstrates your commitment to learning and professional standards. There are several virtual study programs available. Be sure to evaluate the quality of the organization and the instructors before you enroll. Does the organization have a good record and reputation to date? Will it still be there if you need extra time to complete the coursework?

An advantage of a certification program can be the exposure to a wide variety of philosophies and strategies for spiritual counseling. Highly regarded programs offer courses in from research, spiritual, and experiential perspectives. They may include such topics as meditation, “positive prayer,” abundance and prosperity, chakras, energy, and healing.

As you develop your understanding of what it means to offer spiritual counseling, work with one or two clients who understand that you are new at this. There is nothing like direct experience in offering spiritual counseling to hone your skills and to identify where you may need further work. You may find great benefit in one-on-one work with your own spiritual counseling mentor for your personal growth and for developing healthy ways of working with any client challenges.

As a spiritual counselor, you will need to be in touch with physical, mental, and spiritual solutions to the life problems and opportunities that your clients face. While this endeavor obviously requires a special devotion, it also offers incredibly satisfying rewards.