Bereavement : Bereavement is a universal experience. We all lose family members, partners or friends at some stage in our lives. Other events like divorce or a child leaving home can give rise to very similar feelings. Often bereaved people feel very alone and go through a whole range of emotions – sadness, disbelief, anger, guilt, depression, periods of calm, longing and an inability to trust. One day you may feel you are coming to terms with the loss, the next you may be right back to where you started, feeing as though you are going round and round in a whirlpool of grief and wondering whether you will ever get out of it. 

How can counselling help with Bereavement?  When you experience such a confusing barrage of emotions it can be very helpful to talk to someone who really wants to understand you and who will listen without judging you. Often people who have lost someone really close speak of the need to re-arrange the landscape of their lives, to make sense of a world with a gaping hole in it. Standing back and looking at things objectively by oneself can be difficult. It helps to say things out loud and hear someone else respond. Your counsellor will help to create an environment where you can explore how you feel, acknowledge deep down that the loss has happened and to adjust to a life without the person you have lost. Counselling can help you accept what has happened and make the most of your life from now on. 

Depression : Everyone at some point finds coping with everyday life difficult. It is possible for current issues to overwhelm all of us sometimes, either because too many negative events have come together or sometimes because the current crisis has reactivated an emotional upset from the past that has not been dealt with sufficiently. Eight out of ten people will at some time in their life recognise that they are depressed. They may feel sad or empty, being more tearful than usual, loss of interest or pleasure, weight loss (or gain), difficulties sleeping, loss of energy, fatigue, feelings of worthlessness or excessive amounts or guilt. Sometimes they have an inability to think or concentrate and have morbid thoughts. 

How can counselling help with Depression? Counselling can help in several ways. We can often feel not so alone when we have someone to talk our problem through with. Your counsellor can help you to hear yourself make connections and statements, which until that moment were difficult for you to truly hear and know. Your counsellor may be able to support you through this difficult

period. If your depressions have been recurring your counsellor can help you to work at a deeper and more sub-conscious level and this usually requires longer term work.