How Important is Therapy After the Wrongful Death of a Loved One?

The sudden and unexpected death of a loved one is upsetting and shocking. The pain and loss worsen if you know it was preventable or was the result of the negligent actions of another party. Overcoming such a tragedy can be difficult, and everyone should find ways to deal with what has happened. Loved ones can file a wrongful death lawsuit to receive compensation for the death and related damages to find closure. Therapy is also a crucial tool for helping deal with the death of a loved one in the ways we will discuss below.

Therapy Arms You with Healthy Coping Skills

Everyone copes with wrongful death differently. Some use healthy coping mechanisms, while others use unhealthy ones. The latter can be incredibly damaging, especially if you continue indulging in them and not dealing with the underlying emotions.

Therapists and grief counselors have extensive training and experience in helping people cope with grief. They understand the emotions you might be going through and can provide healthy coping mechanisms that ensure you do not follow a path to destructive behavior.

The therapist will also understand you uniquely and tailor the coping skills to ensure they are highly beneficial. Their suggested coping skills will also help you with specific difficulties to help you manage your emotions, actions, and how you deal with this tragedy.

They Listen and Understand

People dealing with the wrongful death of a loved one need someone to listen to them and understand their pain. While getting support from your friends and family who listen to you and your pain can help, they are likely not equipped with the skills to hear you and provide valuable advice.

Additionally, therapists allow you to express yourself freely without judgment. Such a worry-free environment lets you freely discuss what you are feeling, thinking, and going through without the fear of offending someone.

If you are already working with a wrongful death attorney to seek compensation, the therapist can also help you understand the pros and cons of the different decisions you make while pursuing compensation. They may discuss whether a long court process would benefit or hurt you, and whether accepting an early settlement to move on would be best.

They Will Help You Have a Plan for Healing

Following the death of a loved one, it is understandable to have difficulty balancing therapy, work, personal life, parenting, health, and grieving. Doing all this is challenging if you do not have a plan. An experienced therapist will help you develop a plan for managing your life and everything it entails, leaving enough room and time to grieve and heal emotionally. They can also help you with strategies for developing mindfulness and other practices that allow you to be in the moment and deal with stressful or busy times.

Importantly, they can help you rebuild your life by finding new routines and establishing a new normal in the absence of a loved one. By doing so, you will avoid triggers that remind you of your loved one that can cause immense pain and grief.

A Therapist Can Help You Deal with Anger

Anger is one of the most destructive emotions because it leads people to do things they otherwise would not, and it clouds their judgment and reasoning. It can lead you down a destructive path and not allow you to deal with the death of a loved one as you should.

Anger is amplified in the case of wrongful death because people understand their loved one should not have died but were instead taken away through another person’s negligence. This realization can halt the grieving process, with the person stuck on feeling angry instead of coping and finding ways to move on.

A therapist can help you understand and manage your anger so that it can subside, and you can move on to the other stages of the grieving process. Once past this stage, they will continue assisting you until they are sure you are in a better place.

They Will Help You Find Acceptance

Time, finding justice, getting compensation, or counseling will not bring a loved one back, which is something grieving loved ones often do not understand when their emotions are running high. Understanding loss and accepting it is one of the crucial ways you can take back your life following the tragedy.

A therapist can give you the tools and guidance you need to start accepting the loss. Letting grief take over your life means the perpetrator will continue taking away from you and your family. It will also hinder your ability to help other family members going through this with you.

Who Should Seek Therapy?

While not everyone should go for grief counseling, it is highly recommended in specific circumstances. It is common for people to get depressed following the loss of their loved one. As with grief, depression can be all-consuming and make it difficult, sometimes impossible, to deal with whatever else is happening in your life. If you feel overwhelmed or exhibit signs of depression, a therapist can help.

While it is understandable to want to find out what happened to your loved one, especially if you are considering filing a wrongful death lawsuit, it is not healthy to dwell on the details. If you become obsessed with them, you should consider talking to a therapist.

A therapist can also help those feeling empty or not finding meaning in their lives anymore. This often happens with spouses who lose their loved ones and do not know how to live without them.

For many people, the wrongful death of a loved one is much more than an emotional event. It consumes them and makes it difficult for them to adjust to the new normal. Therapy can help deal with the different mental, emotional, and psychological effects and help you move on. However, you may have financial difficulties or have to deal with other issues following a loved one’s passing.

Contact us today to discuss the wrongful death of a loved one and the next steps. You can visit our offices at:

• 10 Commercial Blvd, #206 Novato, CA 94949
• 75 Broadway #202, San Francisco, CA 94111
• 3558 Round Barn Blvd, Suite 200, Santa Rosa, CA 95403

You can also call us today for a free consultation on (415) 897-4801.