Free bereavement support for children

Grief Encounter have been providing free professional bereavement support for children and young people for over 15 years. Their mission is to give every young person access to the best support and resources following the death of a loved one, in order to help them navigate through the fear, anxiety and isolation that so often comes with grief. They work with individuals, families, schools and professionals to offer various services such as one-to-one counselling, workshops, creative art and drama therapies and bespoke support for schools and universities.

Bereavement at any age is devastating, however Grief Encounter believes that for a child it is particularly life changing. They have a dedicated Trauma Team to provide support following a sudden or traumatic bereavement, such as a suicide.  Their GriefTalk helpline is open from 9am-9pm Monday-Friday to act as a confidential and safe space to talk either over the phone, through webchat or by email.

This charity, like us, understands that while entering counselling can be daunting, one-to-one support is vital as it provides the bereaved with a private place to work through grief. Grief Encounter offers free counselling for children at schools, online or at their premises in North London. If you do not feel ready for one-to-one support, their workshops can provide an opportunity to meet and share experiences in a safe environment, facilitated by trained therapists.

As grieving is so complicated and different for everyone, they have produced a range of Grief Guides to help you navigate your grief, or support someone through the process. These guides cover various different topics of loss such as sudden death, religion and culture in death and emotional responses to grief.