Types of Losses

Each loss is unique

Most people commonly think of losses in terms of deaths and while everyone will experience this type of loss several times throughout their life, not all losses are death. The term finite applies to losses that are marked by a clear ending. For example: The end of a relationship, retirement from a job or career, and a death. Most often, we suffer a temporary state of upheaval where we are trying to adapt to our changing world. Grief counseling is most beneficial to this type of loss when it helps the person to recognize how they are effected by the loss, what resources they need to recover, how to access the resources and supportive guidance during their attempts at getting back on their feet after the loss. Another type of loss, that is just beginning to receive the attention it so richly deserved for quite a long time, consists of losses that have no ending or nonfinite. These losses may involve a diagnosis of a chronic illness, a disability in yourself or a family member, caregiving responsibilities that encroach into our lives and change us. Losses that have no definite beginning or ending are often difficult to acknowledge to others and can be thought of as less valid than the conventional idea of a loss.