Grief Counselling in Singapore
At TYHO, we go above and beyond to ensure you receive the highest quality grief counselling in Singapore.Â
- Singapore-based counselling platform
- 98% of our clients would recommend TYHO
- Customised therapeutic plan
- Online & In-person (various locations)
- 70+ vetted & multicultural counsellors in Singapore
- Same day & after hours (incl weekend) sessions available
Grief Therapists Who Can Help
Have you considered seeking grief therapy in Singapore? Below are some of our Singaporean Therapists who may be able to assist.
Hence, at TYHO, we help you with grief therapy in Singapore so that you can cope better with loss and feel less lonely during a vulnerable stage of your life.Â
Rathi
Grief counsellor
Rathi specialises in trauma-informed counselling aimed at healing trauma, childhood relational wounds, PTSD, and associated mood disorders.
Starting from S$ 239.80 (w/GST)
Kyl
Grief counsellor
Kyl can work with individuals facing issues with habit change, health-related issues, communication problems, PTSD, and grief, separation and loss.
Starting from S$ 174.40 (w/GST)
Janani
Grief counsellor
- TYHO Counselling Centre (City Hall)
Janani can help individuals facing issues related to academic and school stress, family relationships, friendships, suicidal ideation, and childhood trauma / ACE.
Starting from S$ 130.80 (w/GST)
Diana
Grief counsellor
- TYHO Counselling Centre (City Hall)
Diana can work with individuals facing unhealthy coping mechanisms, intrusive thoughts, anger management, LGBTQ+ issues, and PTSD.
Starting from S$ 174.40 (w/GST)
Grief is what we experience when we lose someone we love. Â
Although a very common emotional response to loss, grief can sometimes consume you entirely â which may then negatively affect your life. For example, you may avoid seeking new relationships or becoming avoidant in your current ones. Â
Hence, at TYHO, we help you with in-person and online grief counselling, also known as bereavement counselling, so that you can cope better with loss and feel less lonely during a vulnerable stage of your life. Â
Grief Counselling in Singapore
At TYHO, Therapists in Singapore provide offline and online grief counselling to help you understand and manage your emotions while grieving. Â
During grief therapy sessions, your Therapist may use acceptance-based interventions. The therapeutic tools help and let them pass. Â
Your sessions may begin by building rapport with your grief psychologist. Actively focusing on developing a positive relationship with your Therapist can help set the foundation of therapy. Â
Sare your grief as authentically as you can. In fact, several emotions like anger and guilt are often intertwined with grief. Hence, try to articulate all your emotions.Â
Online grief counselling in Singapore can help with all types of loss, including:Â
- Death Â
- Quitting a jobÂ
- UnemploymentÂ
- DivorceÂ
- Break-upsÂ
- Losing contact with family membersÂ
- Moving on from a friendship Â
- Unrequited loveÂ
Symptoms of Grief
Unresolved grief can lead to a strong reliance on maladaptive habits or harmful coping mechanisms.Â
Common symptoms of grief include:Â
- Overwhelming sadness
- A sense of living in a daze after your loss
- Feelings of guilt in relation to something you did or could have done
- Exhaustion, anxiety, and lack of concentration
- Intense anger towards a person you may have lost
- Losing meaning in life
- Low self-esteem
- Poor sleep or difficulty falling asleep or waking up
- Change in appetite
The Stages of Grief
TYHO grief counsellors trained in grief management can help you work through the stages of grief. Learning about how your grief works through tools and techniques could help you handle the associated stressors. Â
Psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross originally developed the stages of grief. Â
The 5 stages of grief are not linear. Meaning, you may experience these randomly, out of order, one after the other, or relapse to initial stages later in life.  Â
The stages are as follows:Â Â Â
- Denial: An initial phase of shock and disbelief, where you may struggle to accept the reality of your loss. âThis cannot be happening. There must be some mistake. Mom was just fine when I talked to her yesterday.â
- Anger: You may experience anger, frustration and resentment. "Why did this have to happen to her? She was always so kind and loving. It is not fair!"
- Bargaining: You may try to make deals with God (eg if you are religious or follow a deity). The primary emotions you experience in this stage could be guilt and regret. "If I could just have one more day with her, I promise I will never take her for granted again."
- Depression: You may experience chronic mood swings, sadness and despair as you begin to acknowledge the loss. "I just cannot find the energy to do anything. Everything reminds me of her, and it hurts too much."
- Acceptance: In the final stage, you may come to terms with your loss and start to look for a new sense of purpose and meaning. However, acceptance does not mean that you have 'overcome grief' or forgotten the person. It merely means that you have learned to cope and live with your grief. Here, you may say, "I realise Mum would not want me to be sad forever. She would want me to cherish our shared memories and live my life to the fullest."
The Different Types of Grief
Read this section to understand more about the types of grief. Â
1. Complicated Grief
When you are sad, frustrated, or angry for a long period of time, and when these emotions affect your life in a negative way â you may have complicated grief. Â
Complicated grief is also known as persistent complex bereavement disorder.  Â
At TYHO, grief counsellors in Singapore may provide bereavement therapy to help you better understand your personal experience with grief and how you respond to it. Â
Some common signs of complicated grief include:Â Â Â Â
- Feeling hopeless Â
- Struggling to remember pleasant memories of the loss (eg either a loved one or a cherished memory)Â
- Avoiding things and situations that remind you of your loss Â
- Lacking an understanding of yourself and your emotions Â
- Withdrawing or isolating from friends and family Â
- Lacking the motivation to work or pursue interestsÂ
2. Traumatic Grief
Trauma occurs when you go through something stressful, frightening, or distressing. Trauma can be either emotional, psychological, or physical (eg physical abuse or violence).  Â
Traumatic grief may occur when you suddenly and violently lose a loved one. For example, losing someone in an accident or due to a hate crime (ie harming someone due to their gender, race, sex, or religion) could cause traumatic grief.  Â
Your emotions may be intense and magnified by the shock and trauma surrounding the incident.  Â
At TYHO, grief psychologists may use trauma-informed grief and loss counselling to help you process your trauma and cope with your complicated emotions.Â
3. Broken Heart
Broken heart syndrome is a rare but severe type of grief. It is also called stress-induced cardiomyopathy. Â
Although a temporary heart condition, it can feel similar to having a heart attack. You may have a broken heart syndrome if you were triggered by any overwhelming situation, such as losing someone you loved deeply, including, through divorce or a break up.Â
Since grief manifests itself in different ways, some people may recover in a few days. However, others may struggle to understand their feelings and find it hard to manage their emotions. Â
Hence, if you struggle with broken heart syndrome, grief counsellors can help you address the repressed thoughts and feelings you may have about the event. Â
4. Depression and Grief
Other mental health conditions, such as chronic depression, could exist along with your grief. Â
If you have depression, you may experience feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest in your regular activities. Â
Your depression could be a direct result of the loss you faced or may even be present for a long time. However, experiencing both grief and depression could be hard and lonely. Â
Hence, at TYHO, our psychotherapists in Singapore could help you identify the differences between both emotions and how one affects or influences the other and teach you evidence-based tools to manage the symptoms. Â
If your grief is left unresolved, you may also start noticing symptoms of anxiety and other issues. Â
During such situations, it is important to seek grief therapy in Singapore to prevent yourself from resorting to unhelpful coping habits such as self-blame or alcohol consumption. Â
Treatment
Benefits of Grief Therapy in Singapore
- You may often feel like or believe that you are not grieving enough or punish yourself for living well. During such times, grief counselling can help you reduce or overcome issues such as loneliness, worry, anxiety, regret, depression, and guilt.
- Your understanding of the grief stages could help you better manage your emotions. When weâre in the midst of an uneventful experience, it can be hard to recognise all the aspects of the situation. Hence, TYHO grief counsellors may provide unbiased insight into the stages of grief and how you relate to them.
- You may feel like you are not grieving âcorrectlyâ or that you are not sad enough. Grief counselling may validate your unique situation and emotional responses. Your Therapist will also show you that there is no correct method of grieving and provide unconditional support to help you share your feelings openly.
- While sharing thoughts or feelings about your loss, you may sometimes become more triggered. Grief psychologists at TYHO are trauma-informed and make sure that the recollection of your memories or the therapeutic approaches they use does not further trigger you.
- Online grief counselling could help you address and acknowledge the different types of loss. For example, you can grieve the loss of a pet, if you have chronic illness, going through a divorce, or are moving away from family.
- Lastly, grief can affect your physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. Bereavement counselling at TYHO can help you develop healthy self-care techniques such as mindfulness and acceptance to cope.
Grief Counselling Techniques and Interventions
This section outlines six common online grief counselling techniques and interventions that TYHO grief counsellor may use to support you.Â
1. Talk Therapy
Talk therapy or psychotherapy, is where you can talk about your experiences with a professional Therapist.   Â
At TYHO, Therapists in Singapore offer face-to-face sessions and online gief therapy in Singapore to help you:Â
- Manage your emotionsÂ
- Understand your griefÂ
- Cope with feelings of sadness and guiltÂ
- Find meaning and purpose in lifeÂ
Please click the full profile of Therapists to look for someone you feel comfortable with. Here, you can read about a professionalâs qualifications, specialisations, issues they can help with and therapeutic approaches they might use during sessions.Â
2. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT)
CBT is an evidence-based approach.Â
Your Therapist may use cognitive-based therapies to help you identify negative thought patterns and beliefs that make it difficult to process the grief (eg âI am the reason my loved one is not aliveâ).Â
Moreover, the Therapist may help you re-write narratives about your loss (eg changing stories about why you believe the loss happened or what role you had in contributing to the loss). Â
3. Mindfulness
Mindfulness is an ACT tool.Â
Your grief psychologist will provide you with a non-judgmental awareness of the present moment and show you unconditional support regardless of how you grieve the loss. Â
For example, some people may find it hard to cry (usually the most common and, in fact, ‘expected’ response to loss) after losing a loved one. Â
While people around them may unintentionally invalidate the way someone grieves, therapy could provide the space for all types of grieving and coping mechanisms. Â
4. Complicated Grief Treatment (CGT)
CGT is an intervention used by Therapists if you have intense or prolonged grief symptoms (ie complicated grief).Â
During CGT, your Therapist may draw from multiple approaches, such as CBT and interpersonal therapy. Â
You can learn how to address your emotions, rebuild your life and find meaning after loss.Â
CGT borrows from seven core elements:Â Â
- Acknowledging and understanding griefÂ
- Coping with emotional painÂ
- Actively thinking about future plansÂ
- Building deeper connections with existing relationshipsÂ
- Sharing the story of lossÂ
- Learning therapeutic strategies to love with memoriesÂ
- Creating a connection to the reminders of the deceasedÂ
5. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
ACT is a type of approach your Therapist might use to help you accept your pain and the reality of loss. Â
Your psychotherapist may focus on working with you to take active steps to reinforce your core personal values. Â
To do so, you may be guided to distance yourself from your experiences. The process of distancing yourself provides a more objective idea of your emotions, almost as if perceiving them from a third point of view. Â
Therapists in Singapore will help you focus on your future goals. Goal setting can instil a sense of purpose and turn your self-awareness into actionable steps that you can take to manage your grief. Â
6. Rituals
Rituals are physical or mental habits that one may engage in to cope. Â
Grief psychologists may use structured and personalised rituals to help you cope with loss of your loved one. Â
Examples of rituals could include:Â
- Writing a letter and letting it float in the oceanÂ
- Chanting a prayer every dayÂ
- Hosting ceremoniesÂ
Grief Counselling for Children
Children may process and understand the concept of grief differently. Â
Between the ages of two and four, kids may not understand death. If a loved one passes away, the child may assume that their disappearance is temporary. Â
Since children in these ages have yet to develop language and communication skills, they may find it difficult to articulate their feelings. Â
During this time, a child psychologist in Singapore can help kids identify and label their emotions in a way they understand. Â
Between the ages of five and eight, children may ask questions about death and begin to understand the concept of loss. Â
Child psychologists may use slightly advanced tools to provide explanations in a sensitive manner. Â
Between the ages of nine and twelve, children may have already understood the concept of death and grief. Â
How Does Grief Counselling Help Children?
Grief support at TYHO can help children:Â
- Understand why they are feeling sad, frustrated, or angry Â
- Manage their feelings of griefÂ
- Express their emotions in a way that makes them comfortable (eg painting or dancing)Â
For example, children may cry or feel angry after a loss but may not understand that what they are feeling is grief or sadness. Â
Therapists may also:Â
- Use role play to explain the concept of deathÂ
- Explain the childâs feelings in simple termsÂ
- Use art therapy to help manage the kids’ emotionsÂ
Grief Counselling for Teens
Teens may have a better understanding of grief, yet still struggle to grieve healthily. Â
As teenagers become more impulsive, they may rely on unhealthy habits to cope. These could include:Â
- Isolating (eg having no friends)Â
- Consuming alcoholÂ
- Having reckless sexÂ
- Distancing themselves from family members
How Does Grief Counselling Help Teens?
Grief and loss counselling in Singapore can provide a space where teenagers can initiate conversations and discuss their feelings without the fear of being ridiculed or infantilised (ie treating someone in a way that denies their maturity).  Â
Therapists may help by:Â
- Providing support to grieve safelyÂ
- Validating their emotions, regardless of how intense or why kind they areÂ
- Developing the teenager’s relationship with their loved onesÂ
It can help to support teenagers either through family counselling in Singapore (ie where family members attend therapy together to cope with the grief) or showing support through being non-judgemental and providing unconditional love.  Â
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