Hi, I've noticed that there are quite a lot of charities and training courses for bereavement counselling, but you never seem to see any of these aimed at those facing their own death. Do you think this is because the latter are usually being seen regularly by health/social care workers, and so their needs for emotional support are dealt with by these staff, alongside their needs for physical/social care?
I ask because this is an area I would like to get involved in, but wonder if it's possible to do so without also being, for example, a palliative care nurse/social worker?
Thank you for any thoughts/insights you can provide.
Sarah X
Are you wanting to do this just for yourself in preparation for your own demise 😮 Or, do you want to help other people prepare?
I have a very good friend who benefited so much from being helped by a wonderful counsellor after the sudden death of her husband, that she did a psychology course at college and then a bereavement counselling course - she now works for Cruse.
I did an OU module some years ago, just after my Mum died, called Death and Dying - sounds grim, but was fascinating and put things in order for me on a very personal level. I also bought a book recommended for the module - Earle, Bartholomew, & Komaromy - Making Sense of Death, Dying and Bereavement: An Anthology, which was very easy to read and understand. I think it helped me cope with my therapy work, as I treat many people with terminal cancer.
Hi, I've noticed that there are quite a lot of charities and training courses for bereavement counselling, but you never seem to see any of these aimed at those facing their own death. Do you think this is because the latter are usually being seen regularly by health/social care workers, and so their needs for emotional support are dealt with by these staff, alongside their needs for physical/social care?
I ask because this is an area I would like to get involved in, but wonder if it's possible to do so without also being, for example, a palliative care nurse/social worker?
Thank you for any thoughts/insights you can provide.Sarah X
I work as a volunteer therapist at a local hospice - so although I am not specifically a counsellor this in a way part of my role. I do have some interesting and humbling chats with some of the patients.
I don;t know if Marie Curie run the type of course you after but it would be worth a try. However I think a bereavement course is perfectly acceptable because these patients ARE bereaved and grieving as are their relatives ....the difference is the death hasn't happened yet............
Many thanks for the replies, Jabba and Tashanie.
Jabba, I think/hope that I genuinely want to help others prepare. My father-in-law died of cancer in the summer, and I found it very rewarding to support him during his final months. I feel as if I would be OK about my own demise (so long as didn't happen when I still had dependent children), though I realise it's rather easier to think/say that when there's no imminent prospect of it! Many thanks for the recommendations re training and reading - all sounds very useful stuff.
Tashanie, that's a really interesting point about the concept of bereavement applying before as well as after death, and to the dying person too. Hadn't thought if it like that before, Perhaps that would be a good place to start after all.
Thanks again for your thoughts and advice.
Have a look at the Soul Midwives website, [DLMURL="http://www.soulmidwives.co.uk/soul-midwives-school/lecturers/felicity-warner/"]here[/DLMURL]. There's a strong spiritual element in this.
If this interests you, Felicity runs training courses.