useful guides

Families often have special ways of celebrating or acknowledging milestones, and these rituals can help families come together to share in meaningful moments. In the same way when someone dies, funerals can help us all, including children and young people, feel united in remembering and sharing our stories of the person who has died.

Rituals, like a funeral or scattering ashes in a special place, are an important way for families to say goodbye to someone who has died. Children may also benefit from the chance to remember that person or say goodbye. It can also help them express their grief and share it with others. However, funerals and what they mean will raise questions about what happens to the body, and what happens next.

The festive season is often associated with joy, celebration, and togetherness. However, for those experiencing grief, this time of year can be particularly challenging. The holiday break can intensify feelings of loss, longing, and hurt. Here are some coping strategies for individuals, children and young people navigating grief during the festive period.

After the death of someone close, like a parent or a sibling, memories become more important to us all, especially children, as a way of continuing the bond between them and the person. Keeping those memories alive are a crucial way to validate a child’s emotions and help them express their thoughts and feelings.

After the death of someone close, like a parent or a sibling, memories become more important to us all, especially children, as a way of continuing the bond between them and the person. Keeping those memories alive are a crucial way to validate a child’s emotions and help them express their thoughts and feelings.

After the death of someone close, like a parent or a sibling, memories become more important to us all, especially children, as a way of continuing the bond between them and the person. Keeping those memories alive are a crucial way to validate a child’s emotions and help them express their thoughts and feelings.

Father's Day can be a challenging day for those who have experienced the death of their fathers, grandfathers, brothers, uncles, ‘Just-Like-Dad’s’ or children. It becomes even more overwhelming when you come across Father's Day displays in shops, receive numerous emails asking if you want to opt out of Father's Day, or get targeted social media ads with Father’s Day gift ideas. Here are some suggestions to help you cope with the emotions that arise on Father's Day.

We all have individual needs and will have different experiences with grief and being LGBTQ+ may mean that you have specific concerns or questions about getting the bereavement support you need. Grief Encounter is here to provide open-access care, for when you need it most.

It might be difficult to have a conversation with children and young people about humanitarian disasters, especially if you have been directly impacted by the tragedy or if children and young people have relatives and friends living in those countries affected. It is important first and foremost to reassure children and young people that you and the local community are doing all they can to keep them safe.

International humanitarian disasters, such as the events taking place in the Middle East have devastating effects on individuals and communities around the world. Coping with the trauma, and grief that result from these events can be overwhelming, along with associated grief which comes from exposure to the events, and stories of families affected, in the wider international media. It might be difficult to have a conversation with children and young people around the events taking place in Israel, especially if you have been directly affected by the tragedy.

During, or in the aftermath, of a widely publicised terror attack, in the UK or beyond, children and young people may experience a wide range of emotions, including fear, uncertainty, sadness and grief. In this guide, we aim to offers insights and strategies for talking to children and young people about death, dying, fear, and uncertainty following a terror attack. 

Navigating grief can be extremely challenging, particularly for children and young people who may find themselves overwhelmed by a mix of complex emotions. This Children Grief Awareness Week, as we raise awareness of the need for professional support for bereaved children and young people, it is essential to acknowledge the difference ‘help’ can make in a child’s grief experience.