Bereavement Counselling and Support Group
We offer a range of options of support if you have experienced a bereavement.
Everyone experiences grief in their own way
As well as experiencing feelings of overwhelming sadness, it is perfectly natural to feel lost, confused, isolated and even angry. Or you may feel numb and emotionless as you try to grasp what has happened. You may feel regret for things you did or did not say or feel somehow to blame for not being able to prevent your loved one from passing away.
It is normal to feel easily overwhelmed, struggle in social situations, worry about things or the welfare and safety of those closest to you. As your mind is distracted by grief you may find it very difficult to concentrate and your appetite and sleep patterns may be turned upside down, leaving you exhausted. Feeling such intense feelings can be scary and it may feel like nobody understands what you are going through and as if an earthquake has hit you, leaving you feeling fragile and helpless in the rubble.
Sadly, bereavement is something that we will all experience at some point in our lives, but we can support you with one to one counselling to try to make sense of your feelings, feel understood and provide you with a place to talk.
At Sunderland Counselling Service, we offer a range of options of support if you have experienced a bereavement.
Bereavement Counselling
Talking with others about how you feel can really help. This can sometimes feel difficult as you may feel the desire to withdraw and be alone with your grief. However, talking with someone and sharing your thoughts, feelings and memories can help to ease the pain of grief. It may be that you need to talk and have someone listen to you or to have a space with someone else to be upset or tearful. It also maybe you want to go over happy memories you shared of the person who has died with someone else who knew them.
Talking to a counsellor offers you a confidential, safe place to be listened to, understood, and accepted to help you to make sense of how you feel at this difficult time.
We offer bereavement counselling through Sunderland Psychological Wellbeing Service.
Bereavement Support Group
Our bereavement support group is facilitated by two experienced Bereavement Counsellors and runs weekly for six weeks. We have no more than ten attendees, so the group is small. When the group starts, everyone is new to the group and so everyone is in the same boat.
It is also a closed group, so nobody new joins after we have started. The group can provide you with support and the opportunity to meet others who are going through a similar experience which can be a great comfort.
The group is a safe, confidential space to explore the following topics:
- Physical and Emotional Effects
- Looking after yourself
- Loneliness
- Managing Difficult Emotions
- Remembering and Holidays
- Finding Meaning and Moving on
If you would like to attend the group or more information, please call us on 0191 514 7007 or email [email protected]. We will offer you an opportunity to attend an individual assessment to find out if the group is the best option for you.
Useful Resources
Sunderland Counselling Service Bereavement Leaflet
Download Our Coping With Bereavement Leaflet
Offers support, advice and information to children, young people, and adults when someone dies.
Mindfulness for Grief
https://mindfulnessandgrief.com/meditation-for-grief/
NHS Advice on coping with bereavement
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/coping-with-bereavement
The Compassionate Friends: Support for bereaved parents and their families
https://www.tcf.org.uk Helpline: 0345 123 2304
The Sue Ryder Online Community is an online peer support forum where people affected by terminal illness or bereavement can exchange messages, share their feelings and support each other.
https://support.sueryder.org/community
The Lullaby Trust offers confidential bereavement support to anyone affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a baby or young child.
https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/bereavement-support
Sunderland Area Parent Support's new group aims to support parents who have lost their child to drug /alcohol addiction.
https://www.sunderlandinformationpoint.co.uk/kb5/sunderland/directory/service.page?id=MlYF1R8VIVE
