Bereavement support

Our senior counsellor and our volunteer counsellors are qualified, accredited and experienced and we have a team of skilled volunteers who are trained in counselling skills and in the issues connected with grief and loss. Our student counsellors are counsellors in training.

Everyone in our Counselling and Bereavement Support Team receives professional support and supervision.

You should allow about an hour for each session.

The frequency of appointments is something you can discuss with your supporter or counsellor: you might meet every week at first and then less often as time goes by. Your volunteer will keep in touch with you for as long as is necessary.

Counselling and bereavement support takes place at Eden Valley Hospice in a quiet, confidential room away from the busy part of the hospice. We also offer telephone counselling and virtual appointments.

This will largely depend on your wishes. You may wish to see your volunteer regularly at first, or you may choose to retain contact by telephone. Not everyone’s needs are the same, so please choose what feels right for you.

In the first session your supporter will talk with you about your current circumstances and what you can expect to happen in the sessions. Your supporter is there to listen and to understand, not to judge you or tell you what to do.

We understand that everyone is different and it’s not possible to like everyone – if you would like to talk to a different person, please contact the Counselling & Bereavement Support Team Co-ordinator to ask if this can be arranged. No offence will be taken if you decide to do this.

If you have an appointment but decide that you don’t want counselling or support at the moment, please contact the hospice to let us know so we can offer the appointment to someone else. You can always get in touch again at any time in the future.