As often is the case, grief is accompanied by other intense emotions such as anger, sadness, guilt and disbelief – which can cause what may feel like an exhausting, unshakeable depression.

 

It’s common for those experiencing grief to assign responsibility for the loss – often putting unnecessary blame upon themselves or others which can cause further issues personally or with relationships.

 

For a considerable period of time, it was widely believed that humans process grief by moving through five stages – you may have even heard the ‘Five Stages of Grief’ model developed by Swiss American psychiatrist Elizabeth Kübler-Ross in 1969.

 

This model suggests we move through five distinct stages:

1. Denial

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

 

There is now new research and a consensus that while this model is helpful in understanding grief processing – all humans experience their emotions differently.

 

Also, the grief we experience is very contextual and most psychologists have a better understanding how other existing mental health struggles will impact how we respond to loss or grief.

 

Online grief counselling delivered via telehealth is not a new concept and was already growing at a steady rate prior to 2020.

 

However, during the global pandemic two factors at play greatly accelerated the adoption of online grief treatment:

1. Forced social distancing which made e-health and online treatment the norm

2. Increased feelings of loss such as sudden passing of otherwise healthy loved ones, the loss of previously stable employment and that many relationships struggled during extended periods of lockdown.

 

At Online Psychologists Australia, our dedicated and professional team help patients of all ages, genders and backgrounds deal with and process their grief using empathy and understanding alongside evidence-based methods proven to help unpack and experience grief in a normal and healthy way.