The Role of Grief Counseling After Losing a Pet
Our pets can have an enormous effect on our lives - sometimes being a part of our lives for decades and through a number of life milestones. Many of us find comfort in our pets so when it’s their turn to cross the rainbow bridge, it can feel overwhelming to lose their physical and emotional presence in our lives.
It’s very normal to feel a lot of big emotions of grief. No one’s grief journey is the same and it can often come in waves. Adjusting to life after the loss of a pet can feel almost impossible and can be one of the hardest losses you may experience in life.
It’s so important to give yourself time and grace to process your loss, and seek support as you need it. There are lots of ways you can find support when the difficult time comes - such as leaning on your network of family and friends, or seeking out resources like pet loss podcasts.
But, did you know that there are counsellors who specialise in helping you navigate through grief? This can be a great way to talk through your emotions, share memories and hear about coping strategies to adjust to your new normal without your beloved pal - particularly if the passing was unexpected.
In this post, we talk about some of the ways professional grief counselling can help you during the devastating loss of a pet.
Emotional support from a trained professional
Grief is a natural part of the pet loss journey, however, you need to make sure that it doesn’t become all-encompassing and take over your day to day life. If you’re finding that you’re struggling to work through the grief yourself, that’s okay! This is where the professional support of a grief counsellor can give you an opportunity to wade through the different thoughts and feelings you’re experiencing and work with you to better understand and process them. Sometimes it can be all too easy to get swept up in our minds, so this is a great way to express how you’re feeling to someone else and get an external point of view.
Giving yourself time to grieve without judgement
It is likely that many of the people closest to you, particularly your family, will also be mourning the loss of your pet. Particularly if you’re a parent supporting your kids through the passing of their pal, you may find that you’re spending a lot of your grief journey supporting others. It’s so important to make sure you’re taking time for your own grieving. As the famous saying goes - you can’t pour from an empty cup! By seeking out support for yourself, you will be in an even better headspace to support your family or friends through their own feelings of grief.
Understand healthy coping mechanisms
When we experience a major life milestone, such as the death of a loved one, this can be a time where we lose our normal routines and can stop doing the usual things that keep us happy and healthy. A grief counsellor can work with you to identify things that bring you joy, and ways that you can bring them into your new normal. These could be doing little things like grabbing coffee with a friend to reminisce about your pet, or going for a walk on a new route to stretch your legs. They could also work with you to identify the best ways to memorialise your pet.
Share memories of your pet without judgement
You’re essentially paying someone to listen to you talk about your pet and they have no choice but to listen! This might be exactly what you need if you don’t feel as comfortable talking to your friends or family about your pet. A grief counsellor can be a great ‘safe space’ to share how you’re feeling with no judgement or with no need to censor yourself because you’re worried about upsetting them - which you may feel if you’re talking to someone in your circle who is also grieving!
Receive validation
Often people can be hard on themselves in the grieving process - expecting that they should ‘feel better’ sooner than they are, or feeling overwhelmed when they have a difficult day after they thought they were feeling better. It’s important to remember that grief is not a linear journey and sometimes it can hit you when you least expect it! A grief counsellor can provide you with reassurance and validation in these moments, and make sure that you feel comfortable to grieve in whatever shape or form it comes.
A grief counsellor can be such a great addition to your support network when you’re facing the loss of a pet. Even more, if you know that your pet is approaching their final days, you could also seek out a grief counsellor while your pet is still with you to begin talking about the grief process.
While this may seem unusual, it may make the grieving process kinder on you because you may feel more prepared - even though we know you can never be truly prepared for the loss of your furry family member!
