This pandemic has taken so many people’s loved ones and friends. Now more than ever, people need to band together and learn how to grieve their losses. The best way to do this is to go to grief counseling and make sure you’re prepared for whatever may come.
Grief counseling is not for the faint of heart. It takes a lot of time and effort to wrestle through the pain of losing someone you love. Because grief is complicated, grief counseling is important.
Burying your loved one and having a funeral can be expensive, but life insurance can be used to pay for a funeral and burial costs.
Let’s look at the benefits of grief counseling and how to go about looking for a qualified grief counselor. We’ll also dive deeper into some of the ways life insurance can be used to help you and your family through this difficult time.
The benefits of grief counseling
Grief is a challenging thing to go through. It takes all the joy out of life and takes the griever to a very dark place. That’s why grief counseling is so important. Below, we’ll look at the three main benefits of grief counseling.
#1 – Grief counseling helps you process your emotions
When dealing with grief, it’s very challenging to process your emotions in a healthy way. Grief counseling enables you to feel your feelings and express them in a safe place. It’s good for you to be able to have a place to express your anguish and sorrow.
#2 – Grief counseling helps you to establish a support system
Sometimes, you’ll come across people who just don’t understand your pain. They wish you would just get over your grief and move on. You want to avoid those kinds of people when you’re experiencing loss.
Having a support system when going through grief is critical. You need people in your corner to love you and be there for you in your pain. Grief counseling can help you figure out who is and who isn’t in your support system.
If you and your spouse are both experiencing grief and it is affecting your marriage, marriage counseling in your area might be just the thing to help you both grief and get through your pain together.
#3 – Grief counseling guides you through the stages of grief
The stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Each stage has its own tribulations. Grief counseling guides you through the stages of grief and helps you come out on the other side, feeling ready to move forward with your life.
The many uses of life insurance
These uses of life insurance are incredibly beneficial when you lose a loved one or your spouse. Let’s look at these uses in detail.
Accrue cash value to be used however you want
When you are insured with a permanent life insurance policy like whole, universal, or variable, you accrue cash value on your policy that can be used however you want. The amount you can accumulate through your policy differs depending on the type of life insurance you get.
Pay for funeral and burial expenses
Life insurance, particularly term, is suitable for funeral and burial expenses because it pays out when the insured passes away, and the death benefit can be pretty enormous for the beneficiaries.
It won’t make the pain you feel any better, but it will help the beneficiaries be able to bury their loved one and start the grieving process.
Provide for your family when you’re gone
Should something happen to you, life insurance will provide for your family. It’s hard to think about, especially when you have little ones. Having a child go through loss and grief is challenging. No one wants to leave a child without their mother or father, but it can happen. Life insurance will make sure they are taken care of.
How to look for a qualified grief counselor
Grief is not easy to deal with, but you can find hope and healing with grief counseling. Trying to find a qualified grief counselor can be a simple process. Let’s look at the process and make sure that this grief counselor has the right qualities.
Ask your doctor
Your primary care physician should be able to refer you to a grief counselor or at least point you in the right direction in finding one. Ask them to give you a list of different counselors you can meet with.
Ask your health insurance provider
Go to your provider’s website and see if you can find a counselor by using their “Find A Doctor” tool. This is extremely helpful because you know for a fact that your insurance covers the counselor, and you only have to worry about copays.
Ask people you trust
Consult with loved ones and see if they know a good grief counselor. Chances are they are grieving with you as you all mourn your loss. If you have friends that have also suffered loss, ask them if they saw anyone for their grief.
Do some research
Always look up the grief counselor’s experience, credentials, and specialties. Doing so helps you to feel more at ease about trusting them with your grief and pain. You want to find someone that makes you feel safe and comfortable.
There is counseling available that can help you with your grief. Again, do some research and see if you can find someone that specializes in grief counseling.
Check for certain qualities in the grief counselor
In the initial meeting with the counselor, make sure to take note of their qualities. Are they sympathetic? Do they have great nonverbal and verbal skills? Do they make you feel safe and at ease to express your feelings? If the answer is yes to these questions, then you more than likely have found the perfect counselor for you.
Mourning is different for everyone
There is no right or wrong way to mourn a loss, whether it is of a parent, child, or friend. We all have our own grief journeys to go through whenever tragedy strikes. Remember to have patience and compassion with yourself and others you know that are grieving.
Grief is not linear. There will be times where you feel good and other times where you don’t. Don’t be afraid to reach out. Get the support you need through this difficult time. Group therapy is also beneficial if you need more than just individual counseling. Do whatever helps you to mourn.
Story by Peyton Leonard. She writes and researches for the life insurance comparison site, CompareLifeInsurance.com. Peyton cares deeply about those going through loss and grief, having lost loved ones to cancer in the past.
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