Why is grief still a taboo in our society? (Podcast)

Mourning, says Mara Bork, 27, doesn't work according to any scheme F: "Each and every mourner is very individual."

Bork should know, she has helped dozens of people after the loss of a loved one.

For one and a half years she has been working full-time as a grief counselor in a facility in Schwerte, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Before that, she trained as a kindergarten teacher and began studying psychology.

Bork started out as a voluntary grief counselor in online counseling.

"It's just great to see how small children take big steps, open up over time - and give so much back," says Bork of her job.

She decided to stick with it in order to be able to look after especially younger people more intensively in their grief.

If you ask her what is important for her job, Mara Bork lists a lot.

Empathy helps in her job as well as being creative or musical.

“Because each and every one is good for something different.

But glitter almost always plays a very important role for us «.

Bereavement counseling is hardly researched - and not supported by the health insurers

There is no recognized professional training for grief counselors in Germany.

This is a big problem for Bork.

Although there are training courses, she would like death and mourning to be taken into account in educational professions and during studies - quite apart from her own training.

"That would also benefit the importance of grief counseling in Germany," says Bork.

The costs for bereavement support are not covered by health insurance companies in Germany.

In the podcast, Mara Bork explains why this has to change, what strategies she has to switch off from her work and why she can imagine doing her job for a long time to come.