Grief Counseling Helps Chapman Community Cope Amid COVID-19

Experiencing grief is never an easy road to go through. But it’s especially difficult in the era of coronavirus when physical distancing keeps loved ones six feet apart. 

One thing the current crisis has highlighted is that grief extends beyond mourning the loss of a loved one.

“We grieve all kinds of things – loss of work, loss of future expectations, being apart from a loved one or losing someone who has died,” says the Rev. Gail Stearns, Ph.D., dean of the Wallace All Faiths Chapel at Chapman University. “Sometimes it is helpful to talk with someone and find ways to sit with and process our feelings.”

Speak with a “Listening Companion”

Chapman’s Fish Interfaith Center continues to be an important source of support during the COVID-19 crisis. Among the many resources the Fish Interfaith Center offers is grief counseling. 

All faculty, staff and students who are grieving or facing any other concern are invited to contact the Fish Interfaith Center to set up a grief counseling session, or just to chat with a chaplain. Stearns says that for chaplains who have been guiding grief counseling sessions for years it’s a privilege, and one they don’t take lightly.

“We are honored to be invited into the liminal, sacred moments of illness and death experienced by families and their dying loved ones. Throughout the years we have heard from many who value having a companion along the way when they are grieving,” Stearns says. “That is all we are – listening companions.”

Explore Ways to Cope

While grief may feel like an isolating experience, Stearns says it often helps to talk with someone who can walk through the process with you and help you find ways to cope. 

She recalls a phone call she received from a Chapman staff member who didn’t know what to do with the guilt she was feeling because her colleagues were first responders on the frontlines of the pandemic, while her work kept her at home. 

“As we spoke, she realized she was experiencing a kind of “survivor’s guilt,” in this case as the one who is protected from dangerous work while others are not,” says Stearns. “Realizing that helped her understand she was grieving the loss of purpose and work she had looked forward to this spring – which meant she could process the grief and investigate what her unique calling to serve might be right now.” 

Conversations like that underscore Fish Interfaith Center’s commitment to encourage dialogue. It’s a commitment to help people search within when the outside world feels overwhelming.

Reach Out for Help

It’s an unprecedented time, indeed, marked by all kinds of loss. “The pain is not equally distributed among us, but we are each experiencing a portion – and our work right now is to be attentive to our own process. Only then will we be able to be our best selves, and to help others find meaning and healing in this moment,” says Stearns.

All faculty, staff and students with any concern are welcome to contact the Fish Interfaith Center to set up a grief counseling session. Email interfaith@chapman.edu. Or join us on “Chat with a Chaplain,” on Zoom every weekday between 1 – 3 p.m.

 

Michelle Anguka

Your Header Sidebar area is currently empty. Hurry up and add some widgets.