Why grief is important: 

Grief is the natural response to loss and is connected to many different feelings. Grief can be released into our life through a variety of events and triggers.

People who have come to seek asylum in Germany have invariably suffered a number of severe losses: loved ones have been killed in acts of war, in fleeing they have lost their homeland, relatives and friends are often war away and impossible to contact, and they been forced to give up their own homes and careers. Important parts of life ‘as it once was’ have become irretrievably lost.

For every individual it is vital to be able to grieve and process these loses. The many feelings associated with grief are not easily suppressed. Often grief manifests itself physically as well.

Hence it is important to establish a safe context in which these feelings can be expressed and where help can be provided. In this way it can be possible to integrate past happenings into current life, thus establishing a starting point for a new future with new perspectives.