Grief

Professional competencies

As a professional working in the field of bereavement and grief, multi-faceted competence would be needed: knowledge competence, practice competence and emotional competence. Building knowledge and practice competence can be achieved through ongoing education and supervised practice. Meanwhile, for attaining emotional competence, self-care is crucial.

Self-care

Working in the field of bereavement and grief can be emotionally challenging, and professionals may experience professional grief, compassion fatigue, burnout, and evoked death anxiety at times. It's crucial to prioritize self-care and self-compassion to maintain high-quality professional performance and improve your professional quality of life. Consider the following tips:

The following tips may be helpful in this regard:

• Be aware and mindful of your own emotions and needs while at work, and ensure you take time to acknowledge and address them. 
• Set boundaries between work and personal life, so that you have time to relax and recharge. Make sure you schedule time for activities that you enjoy and that help you relax.
• Practice good physical self-care, such as nourishing your body with healthy food and enough water, getting sufficient sleep and rest, and regularly exercising.
• Foster social connections that can provide support, by spending time with families, friends, and trusted colleagues.
• Set aside time for spiritual self-care, such as spending time in nature, appreciating art, or engaging in religious practices.
• Reflect on your own values about the meaning of life and death, and the meaning of your chosen career.
• Participating in workshops or peer groups where you can safely share your own emotions and reflections.
• Accept the imperfections in the work.
• When needed, seek professional help to address your own grief or other distress.

Please remember, taking care of yourself is not selfish, but necessary for providing the best care to others. By prioritizing your own self-care, you can cultivate the strength and resilience needed to support others effectively.