What a first appointment is actually like

Nobody makes you talk about the death in the first meeting. Somebody asks what has happened, when, and what you are able to do at the moment and what you are not. It takes about an hour and most of it is you talking.

Ask your doctor for a referral, or look for someone who names bereavement and prolonged grief in what they do rather than counselling in general. A good practitioner will say so if they are not the right person.

If your faith matters to how you want this handled, say so at the first meeting, and say the thing from step three about continuing bonds. Good practice is a clinician working alongside somebody religiously knowledgeable rather than around them.

And if a bereaved child is who you are actually worried about, ask for somebody who works with children. Children do not grieve like a smaller adult and this course is not written for them.