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LivingGrief Sessions & Counselling

Our LivingGrief team are hear to listen and help you navigate your bereavement.

Talking to others who are going through similar experiences of bereavement can be enormously beneficial.

Group support is on offer in both Ipswich & Beccles, as well as one to one support.

Hearing people talk openly about grief made it feel relatable to me and it was comforting to know I wasn’t alone in what I was experiencing

Emma Howells

What are LivingGrief Sessions?

LivingGrief Sessions provide group support for 1 hour 30 minutes, facilitated by members of St Elizabeth Hospice’s emotional and spiritual wellbeing team.

We are currently offering these sessions in Ipswich and Beccles – to any hospice patient’s family members over the age of 18.

The purpose of the LivingGrief Sessions is to:

  • Give you some information about what you might expect to experience in bereavement
  • Think about how you can best support yourself, especially during the coronavirus pandemic
  • Chat with other bereaved people in small groups
  • Signpost you to bereavement support service information
  • Give you the opportunity to arrange an appointment to talk things through with one of our trained counsellors if needed

By joining the one-off session you may:

  • Better understand what to expect in bereavement
  • Explore what may help you cope with bereavement
  • Connect with others
  • Know where to find bereavement service information

You only need to attend one session, but you can always attend again if you wish.

Upcoming LivingGrief Sessions

To register your attendance for one session, simply:

Ridley's Atrium at St Elizabeth Hospice, Foxhall Road, Ipswich, IP3 8LX

Monday 21 October 2024, 15:00-16:30­

Monday 9 December 2024, 15:00-16:30

Livingstone Ashford Unit (LAU), Beccles Hospital, St Mary's Road, Beccles, NR34 9NQ

Wednesday 16 October 2024, 10:30-12:00

Wednesday 27 November 2024, 10:30-12:00

Sharing experiences made me feel less alone.

It was good to connect with other people who are also grieving.

The LivingGrief Sessions have been very informative, clear and concise.

Counselling

One to One Sessions

After completing an online referral and self-assessment, you will be placed on a waiting list. Our trained and accredited professionals will contact you when we have space available to see you. People are usually offered 6 sessions with a review which can then be extended to 12 sessions.

Some people just need a few sessions – others need longer. Particularly if you have had multiple losses, your relationship with the person who has died was complicated, or if there was trauma around the death, you may need extra support to process this most recent loss.

You can also explore your bereavement through creative counselling, art or music therapy or by speaking to a member of our spiritual care team.

GriefChat

By clicking on the GriefChat box below, you can talk directly with a specially trained bereavement counsellor.

GriefChat counsellors are highly experienced in supporting bereaved people. They will listen to your story, explore how grief is affecting you and help you to find additional support.

GriefChat is a free service and is available Monday to Friday, 9am-9pm.

Please be aware, GriefChat is a third party service and not a St Elizabeth Hospice employee.

The service is available to all St Elizabeth Hospice website users over the age of 18. Where it may be identified that a service user is under the age of 18, GriefChat counsellors will outline the terms of service provision and direct the child/young person to other appropriate provision.

Bereavement support volunteers

Sometimes people do not need in depth counselling but may benefit from regular supportive phone calls from one of our bereavement volunteers.

Our bereavement volunteers are trained in listening and providing general support in bereavement and can call you on the telephone at a time to suit you.

Bereavement volunteers can support you through the natural process of bereavement as you adjust to a different life.