Grief with Bridget Caletka, LPC

Grief is a natural response to loss. It might be the loss of a
loved one, a relationship, a job, or a way of life, like many of
us are experiencing during COVID. Today's special guest is
Bridget Caletka, a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas, and
a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in New York. Bridget has ten
years of direct counseling experience within academics, agency,
and outpatient mental health settings, and a particular focus of
her practice is working with grieving clients. She helps clients
with end of life issues, those coping with serious or chronic
illnesses, and provides crisis intervention for individuals and
organizations in the aftermath of tragedies, such as the sudden
death of a loved one. In this episode, we talk about grief – the
five stages of the process, some misconceptions about it, and
understanding when to get professional help. Bridget shares some
words of advice for those in bereavement, including turning
towards feelings of grief rather than suppressing them and, while
grief never fully goes away, hope and transformation are
possible. Listeners hear about the power of fully inhabiting our
grief, creating micro-rituals, and Bridget shares some of her
favorite resources, as well as what to do to help a bereaved
loved one. Learn more about grief and grieving in today’s episode
of Hope Pieced Together.





Key Points From This Episode:


Bridget introduces herself, her practice, and shares a bit
about her background.

Living in a grief-avoidant culture, and how that makes grief
more difficult.

Why Joanne Cacciatore says the world is not a safe place for
grievers.

How the five stages of grief inform us about the grief
process – denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance.

Sometimes, individual family members can experience different
stages or forms of grief.

Grief often coincides with trauma, and trauma can be the
result of big or small losses.

Death, loss, and grief are universal, but some people may
feel it more deeply than others.

The importance of turning towards difficult feelings rather
than resisting or suppressing them.

Understanding that grief never fully goes away but rather
transforms over time.

When to seek professional help – grief becomes problematic
when it is not attended to.

Bridget talks about the intensity and duration of what she
calls “normal” grief.

What to look for in a counselor to help you navigate the
grief process.

Bridget explains why it’s important to tell your counselor
when they mess up.






Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:


Bridget Caletka on LinkedIn


Bridget Caletka on Facebook


Forge My Path


On Death and Dying


On Grief and Grieving


Center for Loss & Life Transition


Bearing the Unbearable


All Our Losses, All Our Griefs