On page 176 of the article, Corr (2016) lists counsellors as one example of the types of people who take courses on Death and Dying. Of course, there are some counsellors whose roles are centred around death and dying, such as those who work in hospices, funeral homes and grief centres.
Why do you think it's important for counsellors in general to have knowledge about death and dying?
Death and dying comes in different forms that knowing them help to build empathy
Death and dying is an inevitable part of life for everybody. For counsellors to have a general idea of death and dying it can help those who fear it, grieve it, or are near it. Counsellors are there for those to talk to and discuss ideas, if a counsellor saw death and dying as a taboo topic it would reduce congruence and also vastly decrease their ability to navigate clientele
It’s important because all clients will face grief or loss at some point. Even if counsellors don’t specialise in this area, they need to understand death and dying so they can support clients sensitively, avoid causing harm, and handle these conversations with care.
It's important for a counseller to support a client with calm, presence, empathy and awareness when coping with loss and grief or facing their own end-of-life, it's one of life's existential challenges that comes with many emotions. Some processing around one's own feelings around death & dying is essential to be able to do this well.
It is important as counsellors to have knowledge on death and dying so we can better support our clients, and for us to gain a deeper meaning, deeper empathy and a deeper connection to our client's experiences, we can walk more congruently in their shoes, have a broader view of death and dying beyond just our own experiences.
I think it is important to having knowledge of death so we can walk alongside our clients with empathy and understanding.
Because 100% of your clients are going to experience loss, death and dying in some form or another. For some, it may be a pet, a loved one, or even a loss of a relationship can feel like a death to some.
Because at some point in our career it will come up with a client and we are going to support them through their fears.
I think it is an area that many people are related to and feel personal about. People may feel positive and accepting, or feel negative and very upset about it. It is a heavy topic, no matter which way we look at it.
I think it's important or counselors to have an overview of all aspects of human life and development. The articles says that these courses are "the study of life but with death left in". We are training to be counsellors to people and all people are exposed to death eventually.
.
Death affect us all in many different ways and it's complicated. I feel that the more knowledge we can gain, the more we can support our clients. Regardless of what field we work in, dealing with dying or death will be contributor for many.
We never know what clients will bring with them to a session. It is important for us to have general knowledge about death and dying in order to provide the right level of comfort
x
.
We all know, as the video reminds us, that we are all going to die. Everyone experiences it differently. When it’s sudden, it can be especially hard to process or even comprehend. And for those who provide care and support, who looks after them?
As counsellors, we need to develop the skills to handle these sensitive conversations with empathy and confidence. The knowledge we gain here will help us support both the dying and the grieving in the best way possible.
I think it's super important because many people come to counselling through loss, bereavement or facing big life changes such as major illness for them or a loved one.
We as counsellors will have many clients that are dealing with grief and loss and we will need to know how to navigate them through their loss.
Because such a major portion of counsellors help people deal with loss
because some clients may present a difficult time their experiencing around grieving a loved one or being afraid of dying, seeing death or having traumatic experiences around death, and we can help them navigate through that
In general, counsellors can be confronted with any issues, its never fully predicted what a client may want to discuss with you, or what they may need guidance around, therefore knowledge about death and dying would be helpful, and if you felt you were not quite equiped to deal with death and dying, you could help the client find someone who specialises in that area.
.