NEW: Bereavement Counselling Referral Service

Over in Bereavement Counselling they have been working on something extremely important, and we would like to share this new service with you.

When someone close to you dies it is normal to grieve. Everyone’s grief is unique, and coming to terms with the loss of someone you love can be very lonely and confusing. For many people the support of friends and relatives helps them to adjust. However, sometimes it can be difficult to find a way through the complexities of grief.

Five things about grief that may help you:

• Grieving is unpredictable and sometimes comes in waves
• Early grief may be characterised by feelings of numbness and unreality
• Grief can be experienced as physically traumatic so please take care of yourself, try to eat and stay hydrated
• Greif may be experienced in combination with other feelings such as anger, abandonment and sometimes relief
• Sleep disturbance is common. If your sleep pattern changes try not to fret about it and still make sure you get enough rest.

If you’re unable to move through your grief, or you are concerned about the wellbeing of another who is close to you, this may be when you need help dealing with grief, through a bereavement counselling service. The bereavement counselling service is a free confidential service offering a range of support for bereaved adults, children and young people from the local area that have experienced the death of a significant person in their life. At present we are only able to provide the service to adult and young people.

Teesside Hospice’s bereavement counselling service, supports people who are struggling with grief, and it’s not just for people who have had access to our other services. Sara Mathews, Head of Counselling at Teesside Hospice said ‘We know that most people deal with grief and loss themselves with the help of friends and family. We also know that some people need specialist bereavement and trauma counselling in order to help them manage their bereavement and it's these people we want to reach out to.’

Therefore, we will be accepting new referrals for Bereavement Counselling for adults and young people over 16 from Monday 18^th January 2021. Clients will not need to wait to be referred, they’re able to go directly to our website and refer themselves through the new online Referral Page and complete the questionnaire. If clients are being referred, the referrers will also use this service.

David Smith, Chief Executive of Teesside Hospice said ‘Given my own background in mental health services, I’ve been especially thrilled to work alongside Sara and the counselling team, during this important transformation process. Re-designing any service into one that is more efficient, sustainable and critically meets essential needs, that are not meet elsewhere in the system is always a challenge. The ‘can do’ attitude of the team and encouragement of stakeholders and partners has made it a success we can all be proud of’.

Sara added ‘Our advice is to give yourself six months and if you find you are struggling and need specialist help then please go on Teesside Hospice website where you will find our online referral for counselling. If counselling isn't the right option for you this will signpost you to other resources and sources of support too.’ If you feel you, or someone you know needs specialist bereavement counselling, please visit www.teessidehospice.org/bereavement-support for a new way to refer into the service. We’re here for you, and you’re not alone.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, all counselling is currently being offered either by telephone or video link up.