Grief support groups and individual grief counseling can make the difference in whether the mourner spends a long time struggling with the troublesome, often painful aspects of his or her loss and the grief that follows or the mourner begins and maintains a healthy grief journey toward emotional, mental and spiritual healing. That is, if the grief counselor or grief support group facilitator has a good understanding of the nature and purpose of grief and effective techniques that support, comfort and help the mourner to launch into healthy grief.

Unfortunately for many reasons, some counselors are unwittingly and unintentionally prolonging mourners’ grief, causing them secondary trauma and making the grief journey much harder than it needs to be. Below is a list of statements often made bywell-intentionedcounselors, support group facilitators and comforters to mourners they are truly trying to help. Instead these statements can cause further “grief” and emotional struggles…