In collaboration with Gabby Jimenez of The Hospice Heart, we’re featuring social worker Isabel Stenzel in Part 2 of our Grief Series. Isabel specializes in grief and bereavement, and she shares guidance about how to cope with grief in healthy ways.  Identifying when extra support is needed during a grief journey is really important.  Talking with a close friend who listens well, or a professional grief counselor is a good way to get help.  Isabel offers that it can be helpful to focus on the grief during a talking session, and then set it aside for a while to relieve the tension of grief burden temporarily.  Anticipatory grief is real and needs attention as well to deal with the uncertainty ahead.  Healthcare providers, especially those who provide care for seriously ill and dying patients, need to seek help for the secondary grief they experience, too.  After someone experiences the death of a loved one, Isabel advises each of us to trust our own instincts about when we need help.  Oftentimes the busy time just after a death when there are so many tasks to complete might not be the best time to seek counseling.  Getting help for grief might be more productive about two to three months after a death.   Prolonged grief needs attention as well.  Sometimes we’re so busy focusing on survival that we don’t deal with grief until later.  If you feel stuck in your grief, find a trusted friend or grief counseling professional to work with.  Your grief journey matters.  Reach out to your local hospice agency for further grief and bereavement support.

Find grief support at psychologytoday.com

Connect with Gabby Jiminez and The Hospice Heart at thehospiceheart.net. 

Find more information about hospice philosophy, end of life care, and self care for both personal and professional caregivers here. 

Send your questions and comments to [email protected].  We’d love to hear from you!

Find more podcast episodes from The Heart of Hospice here: https://theheartofhospice.libsyn.com/

Connect with podcast host Jerry Fenter at [email protected].

Connect with podcast host Helen Bauer at [email protected].

Send your questions and comments to [email protected].  We’d love to hear from you!