How To Handle Being Given A Terminal Diagnosis With Grief Counseling
By Christi M. Lero, MSW, LCSW, CSW-G
We all contemplate life’s big questions. For example, we wonder what we would do if we won the lottery? Or how our remaining time would look if we had been given a terminal diagnosis? Our imaginations let us dream and wonder about trips we might take or experiences we might have. But, the actuality of having our days numbered looks very different. It can even lead to depression and withdraw from life. For many people, a terminal diagnosis is a reality faced every day. Therefore, so is the question of what to do with the time we have left in this world. These thoughts are all-consuming. So ask yourself, have I ever died before?
Death is a New Experience, So We Don’t Know How to Handle Being Given a Terminal-Diagnosis
Being given a terminal diagnosis is a new life experience. Most likely, you have never experienced the challenges that come with this time in your life before. You may be wondering how to handle this news moving forward. How will you tell your family and friends?
Grief Counseling Can Help You Cope with This Devastating News
By seeking guidance from a professional grief counselor you can learn about what to expect and how to untangle the thoughts and feelings knotted up inside. We will all confront our mortality at some point in our life. And, we will all need to mobilize support to help cope with the many emotions that erupt within us. Emotions are a part of living AND dying. Similarly, making sense of the life you have lived or choices you have made is difficult. So, you may be feeling very overwhelmed. And, your problems don’t go away just because you’re dying.
Unfortunately, the Universe does not get the memo that because you are dying you do not have time or energy to deal with mundane life annoyances. The same problems you have had in life will continue into the end of your life. Financial concerns are not lifted, in fact they become more complex at the end of your life. Families still argue and relationships can still be challenging. Chronic problems suffered in life still continue and have a greater impact than on you, alone. If you experience depression in life, you are at a higher risk for depression at the end of life and in the process of dying become isolated, withdrawn, struggle with guilt and regret.
You Learn Coping Techniques in Grief Counseling to Help You Find Closure in Your Life and Your Relationships
Facing your own mortality in such a concrete way, facilitates growth and change. The concept of “someday” becomes soon and you are suddenly out of time to try and do the things you meant to do or say the things you meant to say. The sense of urgency that comes with being out of time is a strong motivator for some people to grow and change. Facing mortality means leaving a legacy and purpose for the life you have lived. You can bring closure to old wounds and make sure friends and family have what they need to move forward in their own grief. Forgiveness of ourselves and of others is somehow easier. These transformations can allow you to live in the present moment and find joy and accomplishment.
You have the right to a death and legacy that brings respect to your life and comfort to your family. Dying is really about learning how to live. Grief Counseling can help you face the end of your life with dignity.
“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.” – Steve Jobs
Begin Grief Counseling in Mid-Missouri
If you have been given a terminal illness diagnosis or know someone who is suffering to cope with the news that they are dying, then grief counseling can help. You deserve support, and an understanding therapist who is outside your immediate circle can give a unique type of support during this challenging time. To begin counseling for grief and loss in Columbia, MO, please follow these steps:
Contact Aspire counseling to set us a free consultation,
Meet with one of our therapists and learn about the ways she can help you,
Begin counseling for grief and loss and learn tools to cope with the emotions that accompany the end of life.
Other Services Offered by Aspire Counseling
At our Columbia, MO counseling clinic, we believe healing begins when you look past hurts, current obstacles and future worries directly in the eye and can confidently say, “I’ve got this.” So, our caring counselors provide a variety of mental health services to give our clients the tools they need to cope with their challenges and achieve emotional wellness. Our therapy services include counseling for caregivers, counseling for chronic illness, postpartum counseling, counseling for teens, counseling for college students, counseling for adults, trauma and PTSD therapy, EMDR therapy, counseling for sexual assault and rape, anxiety therapy, counseling for depression, LGTBQ affirming counseling services, and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). Additionally, our counselors contribute to our blog on a regular basis. To learn more about our therapy services, please contact our therapy office in Columbia, MO.
About the Author
Christi Lero is a hospice social worker who used to provide individual therapy at Aspire Counseling. She also does research on ways to better support caregivers of cancer &/or hospice patients and provides individual therapy to clients at Aspire Counseling.
