Where to find help if you are dealing with a bereavement

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If you, or someone you know, are grieving and need to talk about it then help is available.

Below is a list of some organisations you can contact, or use to find support. Many are charities which depend on donations.

It is important to remember there is no time limit on grief and counselling experts say there is nothing wrong with seeking help, even years after losing a friend or loved one.


NHS

The NHS suggests "talking about your feelings to a friend, family member, health professional or counsellor – you could also contact a support organisation," with the latter available via its search system.

It also recommends someone should see a GP if they are "struggling to cope with stress, anxiety or a low mood."


Cruse Bereavement Support

Describing itself as "the UK's leading bereavement charity," Cruse offer online and face-to-face support as well as group sessions with others who are bereaved.

It also has numerous guides on how to understand the wide range of feelings that come with grief.

Its motto is clear: "You are not alone."


The Good Grief Trust

Those behind The Good Grief Trust say they want to help bereaved people from "day one" and "aim to encourage talking about grief in a more honest, straightforward way."

They provide access to numerous other support groups and dedicated counselling services through a postcode and map-based search system.


AtaLoss

AtaLoss say its vision is that "no bereaved person in the UK should be left floundering or alone and unable to find support when they need it".

The charity's website is designed to easily signpost grieving people to help services and information, when and where they need it.


WAY: Widowed and Young

WAY help people aged 50 or under when their partner died.

Peer-to-peer support, from previously bereaved volunteers, helps people "married or not, with or without children, inclusive of sexual orientation, gender, race and religion".

It says it is a place where someone will "know" what a widowed person has experienced.


Child Bereavement UK

Child Bereavement UK helps families to rebuild their lives when a child grieves or when a child dies.

It supports children and young people - up to the age of 25 - when someone important to them has died or is not expected to live, and parents and the wider family when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying.

It wants all families to have the support they need to rebuild their lives, when a child grieves or when a child dies.


Liverpool Bereavement Services

LBS has been supporting grieving adults and children across Merseyside since 1998.

The charity say that, as "everyone experiences loss and bereavement at some stage in their lives," it provides a place for people to turn to at what can be an incredibly painful and isolating time.


Sakoon

Counsellors at this service say they consider someone's "faith and cultural values at the same time".

Sakoon incorporate Islamic spirituality into their bereavement support and work as "one hand reaching out to another outstretched hand".

It stresses its therapists appreciate everyone's culture is different.


Sands

This national charity supports those affected by pregnancy loss or the death of a baby.

Its helpline is free and offers support over the phone for up to an hour at-a-time.

Anyone affected can call volunteers once or several times. It also provides help via email, with all calls and emails are confidential.


Love, Jasmine

Rob and Kathy Lapsley started their charity after the death of their six-year-old daughter.

The couple say Jasmine’s death showed them what bereavement help was and was not available.

They now provide counselling and group support to parents who have lost a child from "20 weeks gestation to adulthood".


BACP

The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy maintains a register of professionals who can help deal with grief.

The organisation say that allows people to check counsellors and therapists are properly trained and adhere to the "highest possible standards" to "protect individuals seeking therapy."


UKCP

The UK Council for Psychotherapy holds another register where a grieving person can find someone to speak to.

One article on their site explains there is no way of "fixing" grief but ways to "navigate" it.

The UKCP say its purpose is to "protect the public and to provide public confidence in the profession."