Bereavement counselling
Death, bereavement and loss are natural life events – they happen to all of us. We think we should be able to cope but loss can be frightening and disturbing as well as very painful.
It is not unusual to feel very isolated and alone with your grief even if you have family and friends to support you. Those closest to you can feel helpless or even embarrassed and may try to avoid the painful feelings by keeping quiet or staying away.
At times the intensity of your thoughts and feelings can surprise you when you are dealing with, potentially, some of the most painful feelings you may have ever had – shock, disbelief, panic, anger, guilt, bitterness, hopelessness, abandonment, relief, sadness, despair. These are normal responses and you can experience different feelings at the same time which may leave you feeling overwhelmed and confused by the complexity of your emotions. Loss can be very complicated.
If the death has been sudden or unexpected, your feelings are likely to be even more intense which is also considered a normal response. Equally, a more recent loss can bring back the pain of earlier bereavements or losses you may have experienced in the past. The experience of loss has a specific meaning to every individual. A great many factors, such as physical and emotional well-being, culture, age, gender, will all contribute to the way in which each person grieves.
It takes time to work through our feelings and we must make time to grieve. Being able to share some of these feelings with a counsellor who can understand and accept them can be a great comfort and relief. Bereavement counselling aims to help people reach a more peaceful place with their loss and gradually move forward in their lives.
Who is our bereavement counselling for?
Our counselling is for anyone who has been bereaved or is facing an anticipated death, irrespective of age, gender, sexuality, disability, race, ethnic origin or religion. We work with people who…
Have been affected by the death of a family member, partner or friend, irrespective of how or when the death occurred
Are facing an impending loss or anticipated death
Have experienced miscarriage, termination of pregnancy or loss of a baby
Have witnessed either a traumatic or violent death
We also work with:
Survivors of disasters
Carers of the terminally ill
Professionals who encounter death in their work
Other information
About Us
All our counsellors are fully trained in bereavement counselling and professionally supervised on a regular basis. The counselling team consists of a mix of men and women across a range of ages and backgrounds. We are an independent charity and the service...
Counselling for children
The death of a parent or someone very close to a child or young person can be extremely distressing for them. Bereavement counselling can help a child to be able to talk through words and images about the loved person whom they have lost. This can be a way to still feel...
Support Us
WBS is hugely appreciative of any support that you can offer. Every additional pound goes a really long way, especially given the limited budgets that the Service is run on. Donations can be made towards the overall running of the service, or if you would prefer, you can...