Depression Counseling After the Loss of a Child

Losing someone you love hurts no matter how they died. When a person loses a child, it is beyond devastating to most parents struggling with questions. With Fresno depression therapy, you begin the healing process. No one replaces a mother or father's child. Whether your child was in elementary school or a young adult, the loss leaves lingering questions and confusion. According to a report by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, 57,000 children die each year in the U.S. The children under the age of 19 who die before their time mix up the traditional timeline. Most people believe the best order is for a child to bury the parent after the parent lives a long, fulfilling life. Depression counseling also helps in situations such as a miscarriage, missing person, runaway or imprisoned child.

In case when a child commits suicide, it often stresses a family. Some couples respond to the suicide of a child by blaming the other spouse, while others draw closer together. No matter how your child died, it's likely the death will create some changes in your marriage or relationship with the other parent. Grief counseling helps you understand how the other persons grieves. It's important to deal with issues so anger and blame doesn't create a lifelong resentment or change.

In addition to seeking professional help through grief counseling, you can also help yourself by joining a support group, talking to your child in private, keeping a journal or cooking your child's favorite meal. After taking time to mourn by yourself every day, also take time to mourn with another loved one. Prepare yourself when talking to a loved one. In some cases, you show your love and respect for your deceased child by letting other family members know it's not their fault. Having a forgiving attitude often helps in your healing process as long as you also allow time for anger, questions and hurt.

When you talk to some people about the death of your child, they don't know the proper or helpful thing to say. It's likely you will feel hurt when well-meaning people say something judgmental or insensitive. A counselor understands the different losses. Experts say miscarriage affect a quarter of females who become pregnant. Still births occur in one percent of pregnancies while 2,000 children go missing every day. If your child committed suicide, you could experience PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). If you witnessed a killing or found your child's body, the fright and anxiety is often intense. Your grief counselor often helps you work through panic or anxiety attacks stemming from the traumatic death or loss. Other people in need of grief counseling include parents of children dealing with cancer and other terminal illnesses. Parents who find out their child has autism or other challenges often deal with a type of loss and trauma.

Some experts talk about the different stages of grief. While it's true there are different stages, everyone experiences the death of a child in their own way. Although it is challenging to turn a negative experience such as death of a child into a positive, you can do a lot to honor your child. Whether you ask people to donate money to a special cause in your child's honor or plant a tree, find positive things to honor your son or daughter. Take your time to organize your child's room or give away your child's things. In some cases, it's best to wait before making any major changes to the room if your child still lived at home.

At Jodi Mitchell, we offer grief counseling for parents and others struggling with loss. For more information on therapy in Fresno, California, please contact us.