Grief is a complex emotional experience, and bereavement counsellors play a crucial role in supporting individuals through loss. Proper training equips professionals with the skills to guide clients through mourning, address emotional challenges, and foster resilience. Below, we explore key aspects of bereavement counselling and effective grief therapy techniques.
Bereavement Training for Counsellors and Professionals
Counsellors and therapists supporting bereaved clients require specialised training to understand the grieving process, provide structured interventions, and handle complex emotional responses. Bereavement training enhances:
- Knowledge of grief models and therapeutic techniques.
- Skills in facilitating grief discussions with sensitivity.
- Strategies for managing complicated grief and trauma.
- Self-care techniques to prevent professional burnout.
Grief counselling is relevant for therapists, social workers, hospice staff, and other professionals working with loss.
Grief Training for Therapists and Counsellors
Tailored for those in therapeutic roles addressing grief, our online workshops welcome all seeking a deeper grasp of the concept of loss.
Our pre-recorded workshops provides you with convenient access to our training sessions. Explore these resources at your own pace, selecting a time that best fits your schedule.
Formulating Grief – Psychological Models
Price: £79.99 Sale price: £59.99
6 Videos – 2 Hours | 4 Resources | One year online access
Learn how to use a range of psychological models in working with bereavement and supporting grief.
Chapter 1: Introduction to webinar and grief
Chapter 2: Anticipatory Grief
Chapter 3: Psychological models
Chapter 4: Case studies
Chapter 5: Continuing the Bond
Chapter 6: What support is recommended?
+ Workshop Resources
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) in Grief Work
Price: £104.99 Sale price: £74.99
9 Videos – 2.5 Hours | 3 Resources | One year online access
Learn about embracing CFT in supporting people who are grieving, covering: theory, exercises and what the evidence tells us is helpful in supporting grief with compassion.
Chapter 1: Introduction to webinar
Chapter 2: Introducing Compassion Focused Therapy
Chapter 3: Why use CFT in grief?
Chapter 4: Self-compassion model and formulation
Chapter 5: Compassionate Reasoning / Thinking
Chapter 6: Compassionate Attention
Chapter 7: Compassionate Imagery
Chapter 8: Compassionate Behaviour
Chapter 9: When to use compassion in grief work?
+ Workshop Resources
Which Counselling Approach is Best for Grief?
The best counselling approach for grief depends on the individual’s needs. Common methods include CBT for managing distressing thoughts, attachment-based therapy for processing emotions, and meaning reconstruction to help clients find purpose after loss. A person-centred approach that integrates different methods is often the most effective.
A Resource for Social Workers Supporting Clients
This workbook provides structured activities and practical tools to help individuals navigate loss, offering a blend of reflection, coping strategies, and therapeutic exercises.
📖 73 pages, 20 supportive activities & 8 audio meditations
🧠 Created by our Clinical Psychologists
✍️ A blend of reflection, practical exercises & coping strategies
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Your Grief Journey WorkbookOriginal price was: £15.00.£10.00Current price is: £10.00.
How to Do the Empty Chair Technique?
The empty chair technique is a Gestalt therapy exercise where a client speaks to an empty chair as if their loved one were present. This method helps express unspoken emotions, process unresolved grief, and facilitate closure in a controlled therapeutic setting. It can be a powerful way to support emotional healing.
How to Conduct a Grief Counselling Session?
A grief counselling session should begin with building rapport and creating a safe space. Therapists should encourage clients to share memories, acknowledge emotions, explore coping strategies, and identify support networks. Techniques like journaling, guided imagery, and mindfulness can help facilitate the grieving process.
What Theory is Best for Grief?
Several grief theories help guide bereavement counselling, including Kubler-Ross’s Five Stages of Grief, Worden’s Four Tasks of Mourning, and Stroebe & Schut’s Dual Process Model. The most effective approach depends on the client’s individual grieving style and emotional needs.
Explore the activities from our Grief Journey Workbook that focus on the Five Stages of Grief model, as well as four other grief models…
⚖️ The Dual Process Model Grief Worksheet – balancing grief with everyday life.
🫙 The Jar Model Grief Worksheet – showing how grief stays the same, but life grows around it.
🛤️ The Tasks of Mourning Grief Worksheet – guiding steps for processing loss.
🔗 Attachment Theory Grief Worksheet – exploring how our bonds shape grief.
🌊 The Kübler-Ross Five Stages of Grief Worksheet – outlining denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance as common responses to loss.
What Makes a Good Bereavement Counsellor?
A good bereavement counsellor possesses empathy, patience, and active listening skills. They provide a non-judgmental space, help clients explore emotions, and offer structured guidance through grief. Training in trauma-informed care and cultural sensitivity enhances their effectiveness.
What is the Difference Between a Grief Coach and a Grief Counsellor?
“Supporting someone to navigate the complexities of grief can feel challenging. These worksheets aim to shed light on the grieving process and equip a person with tools to process loss, while looking after themselves in grief.“
Dr Erin Hope Thompson MBE – Founder and Director of The Loss Foundation
Who is a Famous Grief Counsellor?
Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross is one of the most well-known grief counsellors, best known for her Five Stages of Grief model. Other influential figures include Dr. J. William Worden, who developed the Four Tasks of Mourning, and Dr. Alan Wolfelt, who promotes companioning in grief counselling.
Learn more about Kübler-Ross’s so-called Five Stages of Grief here.
What Are the Roles and Responsibilities of a Bereavement Counsellor?
A bereavement counsellor provides emotional support, helps clients process grief, and assists in developing coping strategies. Their responsibilities include:
- Identifying signs of complicated grief and trauma.
- Assessing the client’s grief experience.
- Facilitating grief support groups or one-on-one therapy.
- Providing education on healthy mourning.
How Do Grief Counsellors Facilitate the Normal Process of Mourning?
Grief counsellors help individuals express emotions, navigate life changes, and maintain healthy connections with their lost loved one. They use therapeutic conversations, guided reflection, and structured interventions to ensure clients process their grief in a supportive and adaptive way.
What is the Two-Track Model of Bereavement?
The Two-Track Model of Bereavement, developed by Simon Rubin, focuses on two aspects of grief:
- The First Track – Examining the emotional and psychological impact of loss.
- The Second Track – Exploring how the bereaved adjust to life after loss, including changes in identity and relationships.
This model recognizes grief as both an internal emotional process and an external adjustment journey.
The Loss Foundation’s Bereavement Training
The Loss Foundation’s Bereavement Training equips professionals with the tools to support grieving individuals effectively. Delivered by Clinical Psychologists, the training is tailored for nonprofits, businesses, healthcare providers, and social workers who encounter bereavement in their roles.
“She was so passionate about her work… which made learning from her interesting.” – Training Delegate
Dr. Erin Hope Thompson MBE, Founder and Director of The Loss Foundation, leads the content creation and delivery of our bereavement training.
As a Clinical Psychologist, she has extensive experience across the NHS, private, and third sectors. In 2022, Dr. Thompson was awarded an MBE for her services to bereaved families.
Why Choose The Loss Foundation’s Bereavement Training?
- Expert-Led Learning – Training is developed and delivered by Clinical Psychologists with extensive experience in grief and bereavement.
- Customisable Content – Programs are tailored to meet the specific needs of different professional settings, ensuring relevant and practical applications.
- Practical Post-Training Resources – Participants receive a comprehensive workbook with tools and action plans to reinforce learning.
- Flexible Training Delivery – Sessions are available in-person and online, accommodating diverse schedules and learning preferences.
Additional Support for Participants
Beyond training, The Loss Foundation offers ongoing support to ensure that participants can integrate their learning effectively. This includes:
- Access to mental health resources curated by Clinical Psychologists.
- Industry-specific strategies for applying bereavement training in different workplaces.
- A community of professionals dedicated to improving grief support practices.
Contact us about our bereavement training
🧠 Understand the ‘Stages’ of Grief
Many people first encounter grief through the idea of “stages,” but the model is often simplified or misunderstood.
Our Stages of Grief page looks at where the framework began, what each stage represents, and how it can support understanding – without suggesting that grief unfolds in a tidy order.
Explore the page to learn:
📘 A clear explanation of what the Five Stages are (and what they’re not)
🧭 Why grief rarely moves in a straight line
🌊 How feelings can rise and fall in waves
🧩 Other grief models that may resonate more with your experience
Photo by Tolu Akinyemi 🇳🇬 on Unsplash
🌱 Grow with our courses
Explore our courses – including Mental Health: Supporting Ourselves and the Grief Journey Workbook – on our dedicated Grief & Mental Health Training page.
