Techniques for Grief Coaches

To demonstrate your interest, concern, and ability to listen, practice the skills listed below. When given attentive listening, a person may feel more comfortable opening up to the person providing assistance. This is a nurturing connection built on mutual regard.

Maintain engaging and shifting eye contact, and let your expressions convey warmth.

If you want to be taken seriously, you can't conceal your face behind your hands.

Communicate with confidence and openness through your body language.

Position oneself so that one is facing the person who is speaking.

Let's all take a seat on the same floor.

Make sure your legs and arms aren't crossed and that your body is standing tall and at a neutral axis.

Vocal Tone: Be yourself and speak in a relaxed manner. Your tone conveys feeling.

Use a friendly, conversational tone when talking.

Stay on topic when following along verbally.

Keep the conversation flowing and avoid changing the subject.

Follow the lead of the person who is mourning.

To take as much time as he or she needs. Don't jump to conclusions; instead, take a time to think before responding.

Language Strategies;

Free-Form Questions;

New avenues of inquiry and self-discovery are made possible with the acquisition of this talent.

Begin your queries with "How," "What," or "Could."

Stay away from "Why" inquiries that might provoke a defensive response.

Concerning the circumstance, for instance, how do you feel?

"What exactly is it that has you most worried?"

"Can you update me on how things are going at work?"

When asked, "Could you give me an example?"

Paraphrasing is a technique that promotes in-depth conversation by highlighting the speaker's remarks and reiterating the conversation's most salient points.

To illustrate, let's use the statement, "I've been having a horrible time at work. I can't seem to concentrate on anything because I'm so antsy. The manager warned me that if I don't start doing better, she'll have to let me go.

You're basically claiming that you can't focus on anything, and that your boss is unhappy with your performance and could dismiss you because of it.

The aforementioned introductory statement is a condensed, abridged, and clarified version of what was just spoken.

Expressing Emotions:

The following are the most important when attempting to reflect emotions:

1. Labeling the emotion is required. This may be done either by listening to the person's words or by observing his or her nonverbal cues (eyes, facialexpression, posture, voice tone). Two, follow the hints. When you say something like, "You seem to feel..." or "Sounds like you feel..." or "I sense you are feeling...", you're indicating that you share those emotions. Then, you can inquire, "Is that close?" Are you sure about that?

Examples:

"That must really make you mad." You are feeling pretty downhearted at the moment. I get the impression there is considerable uncertainty. "You seem to be in a deep depression right now."