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Grief Center

Living with grief can cause significant impact on an individual's social, mental, emotional and physical health. Counseling services can help to:

  • Move beyond grief to acceptance
  • Improve physical symptoms related to grief (insomnia, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue, stress)
  • Strengthen family and social relationships

    • Altru's Grief Center is located in the Altru Pyschiatry Center.  For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact us at 701.780.6697.

    Grief Center Counseling Services

    Grief Center Counseling is offered to individuals, couples and families who have experienced a significant loss due to death or other life experience.  Counseling services may be especially beneficial to people experiencing the following concerns.

    Complicated Grief may be seen as:

    • Prolonged Grief:  Grief does not have a timeline for completion.  Intense grief, years after a loss, may need additional counseling support.
    • Delayed Grief:  Grief that has not been processed at the time of loss will often reappear at a later time and require additional work.
    • Exaggerated Grief:  Occasionally someone overwhelmed by grief may respond to the loss with symptoms that impair functioning, i.e. depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, etc.

    Multiple Losses may also complicate grief work.  Professionals who work with terminal illness, chronic illness and accidental deaths may develop compassion fatigue and need additional support.

    Circumstances of Death may impact grief.  Certain types of losses tend to be more difficult to grieve, i.e. suicide, homicide, sudden death and infant and child death.

    Anticipatory Grief which can occur as one adjusts to the impending death of a loved one.

    Adjustment to Chronic/Life Threatening Illness which may cause significant changes in relationships and also may impact the patients' view of them self.

    Grief Centers Resources and Education

    • The Grief Center has a variety of resources available on the topic of grief, bereavement, chronic illness and loss.
    • The Center is happy to lend books on a certain topic or put together an informational packet to assist with your specific needs. 
    • Speakers are also available to the community to provide education on topics related to grief and adjustment to chronic/life threatening illness.