When grief feels stuck: Understanding complicated grief and prolonged grief
Grief doesn’t have a deadline. There is no point at which you should have stopped missing someone, no correct amount of time to feel sad, and no moment when you are expected to leave the person who died behind. But sometimes grief can remain so intense and consuming that it becomes very difficult to adjust…
Grief or depression? Understanding the difference
After someone dies, feeling deeply sad can be an entirely natural part of grief. You might cry frequently, struggle to get out of bed, lose interest in things you normally enjoy or find it difficult to imagine feeling happy again. But when grief feels particularly heavy, you may start to wonder: Am I grieving, or…
Grief anxiety: why bereavement can make you feel anxious, panicky or unsafe
When we think about grief, we tend to think about sadness. But after someone dies, you may find yourself experiencing something else too: anxiety. Perhaps you have started worrying that something will happen to someone else you love. You might be more conscious of your own health, find yourself imagining worst-case scenarios, or feel panicky…
Bereavement training for volunteers
When someone tells you they’re grieving, what do you say next? Volunteers are often trusted with difficult conversations. Someone might mention that their partner has died while you’re making them a cup of tea. A person you support may suddenly become upset. A regular caller might tell you they haven’t been coping since a bereavement.…
Bereavement training for school staff
Grief doesn’t always look like sadness in a child When a child is bereaved, they may not sit down and tell a teacher that they’re struggling with grief. They might become angry. They may find it difficult to concentrate, become unusually quiet, start worrying about other people dying or seem completely fine before suddenly becoming…
Bereavement training for university staff
When a student is grieving, it may not be obvious A bereaved student doesn’t necessarily look like someone who needs support. They may still attend lectures. They may continue submitting work. They might laugh with friends, go out or appear to be managing normally. But grief can affect concentration, memory, motivation, sleep, relationships and someone’s…
Bereavement training for NHS staff
Grief is part of healthcare – wherever you work in the NHS Bereavement isn’t confined to end-of-life services. Across the NHS, staff encounter patients, families and colleagues affected by serious illness, dying, death and grief. A nurse may be supporting a family after a patient dies. A receptionist may speak to someone cancelling an appointment…
Bereavement training for police officers
When someone’s worst day becomes part of your working day Police officers can encounter bereavement in circumstances that are sudden, traumatic and deeply distressing. An officer may be the person who tells someone that a loved one has died. They may attend the scene of a sudden or unexpected death, support relatives in the immediate…
Bereavement training for care home staff
When a resident dies, their family may not be the only people grieving Care homes are places where relationships are built. Staff may support someone every day for months or years. They learn their routines, preferences and stories. They get to know their relatives. Other residents may eat alongside them, talk with them and share…
Bereavement training for palliative care staff
When supporting grief is already part of your work Palliative care professionals have considerable expertise in supporting people through serious illness, dying and death. They hold difficult conversations. They support families through uncertainty and change. They help people prepare for what may be coming while continuing to recognise the person who is still living. Grief…
Bereavement training for Emergency Department Staff
Sometimes there is no time to prepare for grief Emergency departments are built to respond quickly. Staff assess, stabilise, treat and make decisions in situations where minutes can matter. But sometimes, despite everything a team does, a patient dies. For their family, life may have changed without warning. They may have arrived at the emergency…
Bereavement training for ICU staff
In intensive care, grief can begin before someone dies For ICU staff, grief is often present long before a bereavement officially begins. Families may arrive in intensive care frightened and overwhelmed. A loved one may have become critically ill without warning. Prognosis can be uncertain, circumstances can change rapidly, and relatives may be asked to…
Bereavement training for Coroners’ Officers
You may speak to a family on one of the worst days of their lives Coroners’ officers have a role that requires accuracy, professionalism and sensitivity. For bereaved families, however, contact with a coroner’s office may happen at a time of shock, confusion and intense emotion. They may be trying to understand why a death…
Bereavement training for healthcare professionals
Caring for someone doesn’t always end when treatment does Healthcare professionals are trained to assess, treat and care for people through illness. But they may also find themselves supporting patients and families through deterioration, dying, death and grief. A doctor may need to have a difficult conversation with a family. A nurse may be supporting…
Bereavement training for helpline staff
You don’t need to fix someone’s grief. But you do need to know what to do with it. For helpline staff, conversations about grief don’t always begin with the words “I’m grieving.” Someone may call because they’re lonely. They might be struggling to sleep, feeling anxious, angry or overwhelmed. They may mention a death halfway…
Bereavement training for bank staff
When a customer tells you someone has died, what happens next? For bank staff, conversations about bereavement often happen at a particularly difficult moment. A customer may be notifying the bank of a death, trying to understand what happens to an account, dealing with paperwork or managing financial matters while grieving. They may be distressed,…
Could you help shape the next chapter of The Loss Foundation?
The Loss Foundation is entering an exciting new chapter. For the past 14 years, we’ve been creating communities where people grieving don’t have to feel alone. What started as a small charity has grown into a national organisation supporting bereaved people through grief groups, workplace training and research. Now, as we put our new strategy…
From fundraiser to melting 10K runner: why I’m taking on a challenge for Team TLF
By day, I’m The Loss Foundation’s fundraiser. By September… Apparently, I’m also a 10K runner. 😅 When I signed up for the Vitality London 10K as part of Team TLF’s 10K for £10K challenge, I had a brief moment of confidence. Then I remembered I actually had to train. I used to love running. I…
105 people are helping keep grief support free: an update from The Loss Foundation
The charity sector is facing one of the most challenging periods in recent memory. Rising costs, reduced funding and increasing demand for services are creating a “perfect storm” for charities across the UK. Many organisations are being asked to do more while having fewer resources available to do it. For small charities like The Loss…
Your story matters: how sharing your grief journey can help others feel less alone
Grief is a very personal experience. When someone we love dies, we often find ourselves trying to navigate emotions, memories and challenges that can feel difficult to put into words. But while every grief journey is unique, sharing our experiences can create something powerful: connection. At The Loss Foundation, we know that hearing from someone…
Bereavement Training for Social Workers
Specialist bereavement training to help social workers support people through grief with confidence, compassion and evidence-based practice Social workers regularly support people experiencing some of life’s most challenging circumstances. Whether working with children and families, adults, older people, mental health services or palliative care, grief and loss are often woven into the situations they encounter…
Bereavement Training for Nurses
Compassionate, evidence-based bereavement training for nursing teams Supporting patients and their families through serious illness, dying and bereavement is one of the most meaningful – and emotionally demanding – parts of nursing. Yet many nurses receive little formal training in supporting bereaved relatives, navigating difficult conversations or caring for themselves after repeated exposure to death.…
Small Steps for Summer When You’re Grieving
When you’re grieving, summer can feel surprisingly difficult. The world seems to shift into holiday mode. Gardens fill with laughter. Social media fills with sunshine, family gatherings and days out. There can be an unspoken expectation that longer, brighter days should lift your mood. But grief doesn’t work with the seasons. You may be missing…
Bereavement training for HR professionals
Help your organisation respond to grief with confidence, compassion and consistency Grief affects every workplace. Whether an employee has lost a loved one, a colleague has died, or a team is supporting someone through bereavement, HR professionals often play a central role in helping organisations respond with compassion while balancing legal, practical and operational responsibilities.…
Bereavement Training for Psychologists
Deepen your understanding of grief with evidence-based bereavement training Many psychologists will work with clients whose experiences of grief and bereavement intersect with anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship difficulties or life transitions. While grief may not always be the presenting issue, it is often an important part of the therapeutic picture. Our evidence-based bereavement training explores…
Bereavement Training for GPs
Supporting patients and families through grief with confidence and compassion General practitioners are often one of the first healthcare professionals people turn to following the death of a loved one. Whether supporting someone experiencing anticipatory grief, responding to the death of a patient, or helping a bereaved family member navigate the weeks and months after…
Bereavement Training for Doctors
Supporting people through bereavement is an important part of medical practice, yet many doctors receive little formal training in grief or bereavement communication. Whether you’re breaking bad news, caring for patients at the end of life, or supporting families after a death, having the confidence and skills to respond compassionately can make a lasting difference.…
The Backpack We Never Put Down: A Bereaved Mother’s Story
I lost my son, Michael, 26 years ago. And if there is one thing I have learned during all this time, it is this: grief does not end. It changes shape. It changes weight. But it never truly leaves. It is like a backpack we carry for the rest of our lives. In the early…
Guilt and Self-Blame After Loss – A Guide for Therapists
Understanding Guilt in Grief Guilt is one of the most common and distressing experiences reported by bereaved individuals. Following the death of a loved one, many people find themselves replaying conversations, decisions and events leading up to the loss, searching for explanations and wondering whether they could have changed the outcome. Thoughts such as “I…
Meaning-Making in Grief – A Guide for Therapists
Understanding Meaning Reconstruction After Loss Meaning-making is one of the central processes involved in adapting to bereavement. Rather than reducing grief, it involves helping clients gradually integrate the loss into their understanding of themselves and the world. Bereavement can challenge fundamental assumptions about ourselves, other people and the world. Following a significant loss, clients may…
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