"Bereavement Support / 喪親支援"

In March this year, my husband passed away after an illness. This sudden loss left me extremely heartbroken and distressed, and I experienced a prolonged period of very low mood. At one point, I even had thoughts that I did not want to go on living. During one of the most difficult and helpless periods of my life, I am sincerely grateful to my practitioner for providing me with telephone counselling over the past two months and for giving me support, care and encouragement. This counselling experience has been a great help to me. It provided me with much-needed emotional support during my illness, and gradually helped to improve both my mental and physical well-being.

The main benefits of the counselling over these two months include:

1. Receiving support in a foreign country and reducing feelings of loneliness and helplessness

I moved from Hong Kong to the UK in 2019, and I do not have many friends in the UK. When my family suddenly experienced a crisis, followed by the loss of my husband, I felt extremely lonely and helpless. I did not have many people around me with whom I could share my feelings. I am very grateful to my practitioner for listening to me and being there for me. Her support helped me feel that I was not alone and that I had someone to turn to during this difficult time.

2. Having a safe and confidential space to talk

The family situation involved sensitive and complicated matters. In order not to cause further distress or affect my family members, there were many things that I did not feel able to fully share with relatives or friends. Even when friends are around, it is not always possible to express my deepest feelings openly.

My practitioner listened to me as an objective and professional counsellor, without judgement or criticism. This allowed me to speak openly and honestly about my thoughts and feelings. Through talking and expressing my emotions, I was able to release some of the sadness, frustration, fear and helplessness that I had been holding inside, which greatly helped to reduce my emotional stress.

3. Helping me cope with grief after losing my husband

After my husband’s death, I had to deal with a profound sense of loss and grief, and there were times when my emotions became overwhelmingly low. Through my practitioner’s support and guidance, I gradually learned to face my grief rather than constantly suppressing my emotions. Counselling helped me understand that grief and emotional ups and downs are a natural part of the grieving process, and I gradually learned to accept and cope with my emotions.

4. Reducing anxiety and emotional stress

During each telephone counselling session, I had an opportunity to talk about the worries, difficulties and emotional struggles I had been experiencing. After talking and expressing my feelings, I usually felt calmer and my emotional stress was reduced. Knowing that there was someone who regularly cared about me, listened to me and supported me was extremely important to me during that difficult period.

5. Rebuilding my confidence to face life again

During the early days after my husband’s death, I felt lost and uncertain about how I could continue with my life. My practitioner’s support and encouragement gradually helped me regain some strength and confidence. I began to understand that although there are things in life that cannot be changed, I can still learn to adapt to my new circumstances and take things one step at a time.

Conclusion

Overall, the telephone counselling I received over these two months has been extremely meaningful and beneficial to me. During one of the most painful and helpless periods following my husband’s death, my practitioner gave me much more than simply someone to talk to. She gave me companionship, emotional support and encouragement.

She provided me with a safe space where I could face and express my emotions. She also helped me gradually organise my thoughts, reduce my emotional stress and rebuild my confidence to face life again.

I would like to sincerely thank my practitioner for her patience, care and support throughout this extremely difficult period of my life. Her kindness and support have meant a great deal to me. At a time when I felt I was in my darkest and most helpless place, she helped me feel warmth, comfort and hope again.

今年三月，丈夫因病離世，這個突如其來的打擊令我非常傷心和難過，情緒一直十分低落，甚至曾經有過不想生存的念頭。在我人生最艱難、最無助的時候，非常感謝 我嘅心理治療師 在過去兩個月為我提供電話輔導，給予我支持、關懷和鼓勵。這段輔導經歷對我有很大的幫助，讓我在病中得到情緒上的支持，精神及身體狀況亦逐漸得到舒緩和改善。

這兩個月的輔導對我的幫助主要包括：

1. 在異鄉得到支持，減輕孤單及無助感

我在2019年從香港移民到英國，在英國認識的朋友不多。當家庭突然發生事故，加上丈夫離世，我感到非常孤單和無助，身邊沒有太多可以傾訴的人。感謝Kelly願意聆聽和陪伴我，讓我知道在困難的時候並不是孤立無援，心理上得到很大的支持。

2. 提供安全及保密的傾訴空間

由於家庭事故涉及比較敏感和複雜的事情，為了避免令家人受到影響，我很多事情都不方便向親友完全透露。有時候即使身邊有朋友，也未必能夠毫無保留地說出自己的感受。

我嘅心理治療師 以一個客觀、專業的第三者身份聆聽我，沒有批判或責備，讓我可以放心地說出自己的想法和感受。透過傾訴，我積壓在心裡的情緒有了出口，很多難過、委屈、恐懼和無助都能夠慢慢表達出來，心理壓力因此得到舒緩。

3. 幫助我處理喪親後的悲傷情緒

丈夫離世後，我需要面對很深的失落和悲傷，有時候情緒會突然變得非常低落。透過Kelly的陪伴和引導，我可以慢慢正視自己的悲傷，而不是一直把情緒壓抑在心裡。輔導讓我明白，悲傷和情緒起伏都是面對喪親的重要過程，我也逐漸學習接納自己的情緒。

4. 減輕焦慮及心理壓力

每次電話輔導時，我都可以把近期的困擾和不安說出來。經過傾談及情緒抒發後，我的心情通常都會比較平靜，心理壓力亦有所減輕。這種定期有人關心、有人聆聽的感覺，對當時的我非常重要。

5.重新建立面對生活的信心

在最初的日子，我曾經覺得前面的生活很迷惘，不知道自己應該怎樣繼續走下去。我嘅心理治療師 給予我的支持和鼓勵，讓我逐漸恢復一些力量和信心，明白即使生活發生了無法改變的事情，我仍然可以一步一步學習適應新的生活。

總括而言，這兩個月的電話輔導對我來說非常有意義。在我丈夫離世後最傷心、最無助的時候，Kelly給予我的不只是傾聽，更是一份陪伴、支持和鼓勵。她讓我有一個安全的空間去面對和表達自己的情緒，也幫助我慢慢整理思緒、減輕心理壓力，並重新建立面對生活的信心。

衷心感謝 我嘅心理治療師 在這段艱難的日子裡一直耐心陪伴和支持我。這份關懷對我來說十分珍貴，亦讓我在最黑暗和無助的時候，感受到一點溫暖和希望。

李婉眉