...and Eastern Germany.
Presentation at a... ...Since the end of last year... ...what you do professionally?
Yes. I... ...German Federal Association of Bereavement Counselling... ...especially the topic of deceased children,... ...heartfelt concern, both professionally and in... ...Church. In my professional life I... ...that the topic of death is... ...often still a... ...to the loss of a person... ...is a process of the soul... ...time.
What forms of grief counselling... ...are offered in your... ...Currently there are offers such as... ...bereavement café, we offer walks, discussion... ...as well as offering events on... ...the World Day of Remembrance for... ...in the field of grief counselling,... ...Through many cases of illness and... ...ultimately natural way of dealing with... ...such important aspects of life as... ...mourning.
Certainly part of the trigger... ...one’s own experiences of loss a... ...an honorary or professional capacity desirable.... ...well as the official appointment are... ...central points of our policy.... ...with grief?
Both professionally and in... ...the direct view of it. At... ...first, the pain of loss and... ...personal spiritual experiences of faith within... ...conversations, it is often a matter... ...of first allowing... ...questions and feelings of the bereaved.... ...the long-term course of accompanying the... ...advisor and spokesperson of the Round... ...Brit Gardemeier, spokesperson of the Round... ...Bereavement Support Group of the New... ...the end of last year you... ...have been volunteering... ...your services as grief counsellor... ...in your Regional Church. Is... ...this what you do... ...professionally?
Yes. I have a private... ...practice in music,... ...grief counselling, and psychotherapy in northern... ...Germany. I am a trained bereavement... ...certified by the German Federal Association... ...of Bereavement Counselling and as such... ...I mainly care for families,... ...with a focus on... ...orphaned parents and grieving siblings.... ...What motivates you to... ...in this field also in the... ...Church?
I stand behind my... ...Church and my faith. Grief counselling,... ...especially the topic... ...of deceased children, is... ...a heartfelt concern, both... ...professionally and in our... ...So I volunteered as a grief... ...Church. In my professional life I... ...experience that the topic... ...of death is often... ...still a side issue... ...therefore like to create greater public... ...awareness and help for... ...the bereaved.
What is grief?... ...A definition that I value... ...“Grieving is the natural reaction to... ...the loss of a person (or... ...an animal or a thing) with... ...whom there was a meaningful relationship.... ...is not something static, but an... ...individual, multi-layered process, which... ...is an overwhelmingly personal experience for... ...each person. It can also be... ...culturally different and can impact our... ...cognition, the body, and social contacts.... ...Grief is a process of... ...soul to comprehend what has happened,... ...a universal human reaction that requires... ...expression, space, and time.
What... ...of grief counselling are offered in... ...your Regional Church?
... ...Currently there are offers such... ...as individual counselling conversations or a... ...bereavement café, we offer... ...walks, discussion circles... ...for open and closed groups,... ...by e-mail or telephone... ...contact, through home... ...visits, personal consultation hours, various... ...online formats, mourning devotions,... ...as well as offering events... ...on the World Day of Remembrance... ...for Deceased Children.
What can the... ...expect from the bereavement counsellors?
... ...An open heart and ear, someone... ...there for them, and appreciation and... ...respect because grief counselling... ...is pastoral care, that is, relationship... ...The grief counsellors are specially trained... ...or are even qualified in the... ...counselling, so they have a special... ...view on and competence for... ...grief.
What was your personal... ...counselling?
There were many moments that... ...led to this and still lead... ...to this. Through many cases of... ...illness and death and many deathbeds... ...that I sat at as a... ...child, I have gained an ultimately... ...natural way of dealing with such... ...important aspects of life... ...as parting, death, and mourning.
Certainly... ...part of the... ...trigger is the fact that my... ...child and I almost died due... ...to pregnancy complications. So for... ...personal reasons I have a special... ...connection to premature and deceased children,... ...to life, to death, and all... ...things in between.
Are one’s own... ...experiences of loss a prerequisite for... ...into grief counselling?
Assuming that everyone... ...has already experienced losses... ...in their lives, dealing with them... ...is certainly a prerequisite. Among... ...things, I consider a confrontation with... ...one’s own learning and grief biography... ...as well as a readiness for... ...reflection and self-awareness to be... ...important in order... ...to be active in grief... ...counselling.
What other qualities are advantageous... ...for a grief counsellor?... ...Mental resilience as well as... ...different world views and lifestyles are... ...important. In our... ...policy we list empathy, communication skills,... ...ability for self-reflection, and empathy in... ...dealing with mourners.... ...We also consider a qualification in... ...bereavement counselling in an honorary or... ...professional capacity desirable. Therefore, further... ...training, supervision, as well as... ...the official appointment are central points... ...our policy.
How can one use... ...the resources that one’s faith... ...with grief?
Both professionally and in... ...in the Church, and also very... ...personally, I experience that faith can... ...be an enormous resource... ...But the loss initially obscures the... ...view of it. At first, the... ...pain of loss and the desire... ...to have the loved... ...one back are huge. Later,... ...will find their personal spiritual experiences... ...of faith within themselves.... ...In conversations, it is... ...often a matter of first... ...allowing doubts to stand.
Therefore, saying... ...things such as “We have... ...such a beautiful faith, there is... ...really no need... ...to be sad,” are simply inappropriate—unless... ...expressed by the bereaved themselves. Yes,... ...faith is beautiful, but it... ...to the questions and feelings of... ...the bereaved. Especially in the... ...long-term course of accompanying the grieving,... ...faith can strengthen.
Would... ...you encourage others to... ...involved in the congregation as grief... ...counsellors?
With all my heart,... ...The full interview was originally published... ...in the German magazine Unsere Familie,... ...issue 12/2023.
Captions
Apostle Uli Falk... ...welcomes Brit Gardemeier (left) as... ...expert advisor and spokesperson of... ...the Round Table Bereavement Support Group... ...for the New Apostolic Church Northern... ...and Eastern Germany.
Presentation at a... ...seminar for district leaders in Visselhövede,... ...March 2023
Presenting donations to the... ...Orphaned Parents and Siblings Hamburg... ...Association, January 2023
An open heart... ...and ear for mourners,... ...because grief counselling... ...is pastoral care
“Grief is... ...solution”
Grief needs space. And the... ...bereaved need support. What can be... ...done and how can we help?... ...An interview with... ...Brit Gardemeier, spokesperson of... ...the Round Table Bereavement Support Group... ...of the New Apostolic Church Northern... ...and Eastern Germany, provides some... ...March 2023
Presenting donations to the...
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