Grief is an inevitable part of life. More recently, though, grief has become more prevalent as unprecedented challenges batter the globe. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s mental health report, more people than usual are experiencing grief due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic has claimed almost one million lives. As such, grief-related reactions like shock, anxiety, distress, and depression are becoming more common, too.

While there is no instant cure for grief, there are ways to help those who are grieving heal slowly and steadily. Two of such ways are grief counseling and grief support groups. While these may sound similar, in reality, they’ve both have specific differences that may benefit individuals differently.

What is a Grief Support Group?

Conducted in either self-help or professionally-led formats, grief support groups aim to build a support system that alleviates feelings of isolation. Since grief comes in many shapes and forms, some groups also cater to specific instances of loss. This is something we’ve discussed before in our post about Grief Support for Widowed Men.

Regardless of what kind of support group you join, the format is a basic structure to it. In these settings, each participant typically takes turns sharing their grief related feelings. This may be as detailed or as vague as a group participant prefers. In some cases, participants may even choose to simply stay silent for the time being. Following this, the group moderator may provide further prompts or advice. In some cases, other participants may chime in with their own feedback. In all groups, though, there is a set of rules to ensure that everyone is respectful, kind, and supportive to each others’ grief process.

Notably, Health Magazine’s article on support groups states these sessions can help participants to learn from others and create meaningful connections. Studies even show that grief support groups can reduce the manifestation of depressive symptoms.

What is Grief Counseling?

In many cases, grief can be too complicated to share and too overwhelming to handle alone. In such instances, grief counseling is often the preferred recourse. While grief support groups leverage community, grief counseling focuses first on individual healing through individual sessions. In Maryville University’s blog post about grief counseling, it is described that because this is a specific form of therapy, participants are able to work through the various stages and emotions of grief at their own pace. In this way, individuals are able to tackle even more acute grief manifestations.

Led by licensed mental health therapists, grief counseling’s primary objectives are to help accept loss, work through the pain, and adjust to present life. During grief counseling, therapists may use a number of techniques including talk therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), rituals, and medications.

Since grief counseling is an individual process, participants may also be given additional mindfulness exercises that are especially relevant to their case. With continued grief counseling sessions, many participants are better able to understand their grieving process, honor the deceased sans trauma, and reduce feelings of guilt associated with those who passed.

Which Approach is Right for You?

Just as there is no one right way to grieve, there’s no one right approach to support either. Instead, it’s better to focus on your needs and which approach can best match those needs. For some people that may mean a group setting pains, memories, and stories can be shared with others. Alternatively, others may prefer to face their grief more intimately.

At the end of the day, what’s important is that you get the help you need. Grief is not just a feeling you should be ashamed of or play down. If left unaddressed, grief can seriously impact an individual. In fact, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), by the American Psychiatric Association, has even formally included a mental disorder that comes as a result of prolonged grief.

Individuals who are grieving should make getting help a priority. If you’re not sure how to get help, try asking mental health experts or trusted loved ones for recommendations. On top of this, you could also try listening to free resources like our podcast or using tools like the Grief Refuge app. Through resources like these, you can gain more insight into how you can start healing on your own terms. Though grieving is never easy, with proper guidance, the journey through grief to healing can start today.

This post was specially contributed by the writer: JBartlet