Some deaths are totally unexpected and tear at the family’s very core. Automobile accidents, sudden illness, heart attack, and other causes of quick death leave family members with a big gaping hole in their lives. They are stunned and aren’t sure where to turn. As their funeral director and grief counselor, your job is to [...]
Often people in grief are still in such a state of shock that they have difficulty making critical decisions. Although we as funeral home directors recognize this reality, it can at times make the process of completing funeral arrangements grind to a halt. In order to facilitate the healing process, we are as patient as [...]
Make a tremendous difference in the life of a grieving person. With a few minutes of your time, you can text an encouraging Thought for the Day to someone whose world collapsed when a loved one passed away. You can even text the same message to several people at once. Texting is a quick and [...]
When counseling grieving families, every once in a while you come up against a brick wall. Family members can’t agree on the wording for the obituary or which cemetery to use or how much to spend on the arrangements. Whatever the problem, the result is that the funeral planning screeches to a halt. When families [...]
Grief is the emotional experience that occurs after a loss, usually in the form of the death of a loved one or loved ones. Although grieving is a universal experience, every individual experiences grief in their own unique way. How they grieve, what they feel, how they respond to grief, and even how long they [...]
The intense emotions expressed at funerals can range from stoicism to uncontrollable sobbing and loud wailing. How do you handle the overt emotions of total strangers who have gathered in your funeral home to pay respect to the deceased? The fact is, you can’t control them—not per say. In a way, you are like a [...]
In the process of trying to be sensitive to your grieving family, it is possible to be overrun by them. This is not something they do intentionally. Their world has been turned upside down, so in self-preservation, they try to deal only with the crisis and not “sweat the small stuff.” As a result, they [...]
When grieving families walk in your door, they are absolutely numb. They may not realize that certain parts of their decision-making abilities are offline, along with their emotions. Whether the family has suddenly lost a loved one or knew this time was coming because of a terminal illness, the numbness is still there. They will [...]
