Often the most valued help for those grieving is the support of family, friends, neighbours, and their communities. These networks serve a range of functions ranging from managing the daily necessities of life e.g. shopping, cooking, cleaning, and gardening, to emotional support and friendship. Occasionally more support is needed from professionals. There are a range of supports that can be helpful for those who are bereaved and grieving. We have broken these into four types of support.
Emotional support
Emotional support following the loss of someone important to us can help us to process the often strong and overwhelming emotions that come with grief and bereavement. Emotional support can come in many forms and provided by various sources, including family, friends, neighbours, and communities. It can also help to seek emotional support from those outside your immediate circle. There are a range of formal emotional supports available to support you navigate the emotional distress that comes with grief and bereavement. These include crisis support lines, telehealth and telephone counselling, online support, and support groups.
Crisis support
There are a range of support services that you can access online or via the phone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Telehealth and telephone counselling
Accessing emotional support via telehealth (video-calls) or through telephone counselling can be a valuable and convenient way to process loss and grief.
Informational support
There are plenty of websites out there offering advice and guidance for people who are experiencing grief. Unfortunately, some of these sites reinforce the various myths of grief so we have curated a list of helpful and reputable websites and written and audio-visual resources that provide further guidance to help you understand the experience of grief.
View the Grief and Bereavement Resources.
Social support
What we know about grief is that most people who have been bereaved, will be ok with the support of family, friends, colleagues, and their community. Social support can meet many of our needs including emotional support, practical support, and companionship.
View all the Social Support available.
Practical support
The death of someone important to us can leave us feeling overwhelmed and alone. In these tough times, the support of others is crucial, yet asking for help or organising it can feel daunting.
View the practical support available.