Grief Counseling Services: A Vital Part of Hospice Care

All of us will experience grief at some time in our lives. This is particularly true at the end of life. With some hospice programs, grief aftercare takes the form of a phone call, a brochure or a letter.
Hosparus, however, puts grief services on par with our other services. That means patients and families receive the benefit of a full range of support from licensed professionals – clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists and art therapists.

Our team understands that grief begins with the terminal diagnosis. So our counseling is available from the time a patient is admitted and continues, at no cost, for 13 months following their death for any and all family members who seek support.

Counselors help the dying patient through preparatory grief – listening to the patient and helping address hopes, questions and unresolved issues. They work with families and loved ones while the patient is under care – a time known as anticipatory grieving. And, of course, they offer bereavement counseling following death.
Hosparus understands that grieving for the person who died is a lifelong process, and the challenge is to help those grieving move forward – not simply move on.

Our grief counselors know that relationships don’t end at death, they just change. They are experienced in helping families and loved ones discover a new connection with the deceased by exploring how the relationship is woven into their life stories and how the person’s life and legacy can help them find their own inner strengths.
Our counselors understand that men and women often address grief in different ways. Women are often more intuitive and want to talk with others about how they are managing and experiencing their grief. On the other hand, men are often more instrumental – preferring to display grief through an action or memorial.

In both instances, counselors seek to help people discover what they are grateful for, and then find ways to channel that gratefulness. Sometimes this is by reaching out to others through volunteering or philanthropy. Our “Giving through Grief” program, for example, brings people together regularly for a social lunch followed by a time of service to a local non-profit like Dare To Care or Blessings in a Backpack.

Our counselors understand that children also require special support and care prior to and following the death of a loved one. As you can see, our grief counseling team is an important part of our continuum of care. It is a significant service that goes far and above what is offered anywhere else. And our services are not limited to patients and families. But that is a subject for another blog.

If you want to learn more about our grief counseling programs, please call 888-345-8197.