A family consisting of a mother and her three children sit on a sofa in their lounge at home. They are smiling to the camera.

Bereavement support

Our bereavement support begins from your loved ones initial referral and continues throughout their care – not only once a loss has been experienced. Find out more about our adult and child bereavement support services.

Supporting you and your loved ones through bereavement

We can provide group or individual adult bereavement support and counselling for family members, carers and friends. This can include preparing you for the loss of a loved one and finding ways of remembering them in the way that you want. Our team includes a counsellor who specialises in adult bereavement as well as social workers who are also able to provide help with informal pre-bereavement support and anticipatory grief.

We realise that children and young people can find it particularly difficult to understand and cope with bereavement which is why we also offer support specifically tailored to them. As well as one-to-one support, we create opportunities for them to meet up with peers who have also experienced loss. We also provide guidance to parents and carers as well as support and training to teachers on how to best help them through this experience. This support is provided by our dedicated Child Bereavement Specialist.

What we can offer you

  • Group or individual adult bereavement counselling sessions for family members, carers and friends, providing you with a safe space to talk about your experience of grief and bereavement with a trained counsellor.
  • Group outings where bereaved adults can meet up with other bereaved adults who have also experienced loss through palliative care.
  • One-to-one bereavement support and counselling for children and young people (up to 18 years old) at their homes, at school or in our dedicated Children’s Room.
  • Activity days and group outings where children can meet up with their peers who have also experienced loss.
  • Support and guidance for parents and carers of bereaved children.
  • Specialist training and advice to schools and other organisations working with children facing bereavement.
Social Work and Bereavement Team Lead, Marie, offering pre-bereavement support and advice.

"When dad passed away, the hospice gave us books about loss and grieving which helped us to understand what was happening and that we were not alone. They even gave us special teddy bears to remind us of him. We sleep with them every night.”

– Amira, aged 10.

How to access our bereavement support

Adult bereavement support
Child bereavement support

Get in touch

If you would like to speak to a member of our Bereavement Support team and find out more about how they can support you or a loved one please email HospiceSWB@hje.org.uk or call 020 7806 4017.

Alternatively, please contact our Social Work and Bereavement Team Lead, Marie directly at marie.berteau@hje.org.uk.

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