Bereavement Support
Losing someone special is the most difficult thing we as humans will ever have to go through, but we never have to go through it alone.
A Hand in the Dark
Our Lived-Experience Experts have taken the path you are embarking on and emerged from the other end. They are here for you, with you, every step of the way.
The first thing to note is that Bereavement is and can be different for everyone so there’s usually no ‘one size fits all’. Your grief and bereavement is yours, and very individual. Even when family members lose the same dear one, they still grieve differently. We should allow ourselves and others around us who are grieving to grieve as they wish, without being judged, and offer the support they need.
The Seven Stages of Grief
There are seven recognised stages of grief. These do not always have to occur and not always in the same order, but at the end of the day they are coping mechanisms that while difficult to go through, can be vital processes to experience during bereavement. They are listed as below:
Shock, Pain, Disbelief, Denial
Pain and Guilt
Anger, Bargaining
Sadness which can turn to Depression
Adjustment and Coping
Coming to Terms
Acceptance, Positivity and Hope
Lived Experience Expert
Cassandra Goring
Here for You.
A Person with Lived Experience of Bereavement by Suicide
I am a mother, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a colleague… and I am a survivor!
On 7 October 2017, my life changed irrevocably. It was the day my son Keran took his own life; he was 26 years old. I did not know for two and a half weeks what had happened to him, but on the morning of the 8th, I woke up knowing that something was wrong.
One day, I will share the story of my battle with the Met Police’s Missing Persons unit to even investigate my son’s disappearance and subsequently appoint a family liaison officer to me once they discovered his fate, to the agonising 5-month long wait for Keran’s body to be retrieved from the River Thames.
Almost 4 years on I have developed my own coping methods, have also engaged in counselling services and find myself in a hopeful position. Hopeful that I can make a difference to someone struggling with suicidal thoughts, and those who have lost a loved one to this tragic pandemic, taking our loved ones at an alarming rate.
Today I am on my journey to support others with postvention through my voluntary work with Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide, also known as SOBS UK, where I facilitate monthly group meetings face to face and via zoom. Good postvention support can help people grieve and recover and can be a critical element to preventing further suicides from happening. I intend to develop my knowledge in suicide intervention and look forward to undertaking ASIST, Applied Suicide Intervention Training.
I am also mother to Kai and Karis. Kai is 19 and he is studying Marketing at Uni in Bristol and Karis who is 17 is studying for her A ‘levels at sixth form college, along with being an international cheerleader and working part time. I work full time for a local authority as a commercialisation specialist, so my focus is making revenue for the council. In my spare time I like to practice mindfulness, meditation and yoga. I love long walks with my two dogs and being surrounded by nature. Socialising with friends and having a good ‘ole boogie is a favourite pastime of mine, and I look forward to dusting off my dancing shoes.