Bereavement counselling and grief support: how to find help in the UK
If someone close to you has died, you might be wondering whether you need support, and where to find it. This guide explains what bereavement counselling is, the free help you can use now, NHS routes, and how to choose a private counsellor if you decide to.
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Please read. This is general information written by Therapist Circle, not medical or professional advice. We’re a directory: we don’t provide counselling, and we don’t recommend or guarantee any practitioner or service. Phone numbers were checked on each organisation’s own website on 20 October 2026, but opening times change, so check their site before you call. If you’re having thoughts of ending your life, please get help now (see the box below).
Grief is a normal response to loss
Grief can bring shock, numbness, deep sadness, tiredness, anger or guilt, and it can affect your sleep, appetite and concentration. The NHS says there’s “no right or wrong way to feel”. Feelings can come and go, and strong ones can appear when you don’t expect them, such as on a birthday or when you hear a song.
You can grieve for losses other than a death too, such as the end of a relationship, losing a job or home, or someone close to you becoming seriously ill. The support below can help with those as well. The NHS page on grief after bereavement or loss has more.
Do you need counselling?
Not everyone who is grieving needs professional help. Many people are supported by family, friends, faith or community groups, or by talking with others who have been bereaved. Counselling may help if:
- you have no one you feel able to talk to, or you don’t want to burden the people around you
- the death was sudden, traumatic or complicated, or your relationship with the person was
- you feel stuck, or the feelings aren’t easing at all as time goes on
- grief is making it hard to work, look after yourself or others, or sleep
- you’re relying on alcohol, drugs or gambling to get through. Our guide to free help with alcohol, drugs and gambling may help.
The NHS suggests seeing a GP if you’re struggling to cope, if you’ve had a low mood for more than two weeks, or if the things you’re trying yourself aren’t helping. It also describes prolonged grief disorder, where very difficult feelings don’t get easier as the months go by, and suggests seeing a GP if you recognise it.
Free support you can use now
- Cruse Bereavement Support: a free helpline on 0808 808 1677 for anyone in the UK affected by grief, run by trained volunteers, plus local one-to-one and group support in many areas. Check their site for opening times.
- Cruse Scotland: a free helpline on 0808 802 6161 and support across Scotland.
- AtaLoss.org: a UK bereavement signposting website where you can search for support services by your loss, age and location.
- The Good Grief Trust: information and links to bereavement support across the UK.
- Sue Ryder grief support: information and advice on coping with grief and the practical side of a death.
For more free options, see free and low-cost therapy.
Support after particular kinds of loss
- After a suicide. The Support After Suicide Partnership brings UK services together and has guides on what might happen next, talking to children and supporting someone else. You can call Samaritans free on 116 123 at any time.
- After the death of a baby. Sands supports anyone affected by the death of a baby, with a helpline on 0808 164 3332. The Lullaby Trust supports families after the sudden death of a baby or young child.
- Children and young people. Child Bereavement UK supports grieving children and young people, and families when a child dies, with a helpline on 0800 02 888 40. Our guide to which professional might help your child explains the different roles.
NHS routes
- Your GP can talk through how you’re feeling, check for depression or anxiety, and tell you about local NHS and community services.
- In England, if you’re 18 or over (or 16 or over in some areas), you can refer yourself to an NHS Talking Therapies service without seeing a GP first, for example if grief has led to depression or anxiety.
- In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, talking therapies are usually arranged through your GP practice.
- Hospices often offer bereavement support to the families of people they cared for. If your relative died in a hospice or was supported by one at home, it’s worth asking them.
Our guide to finding NHS support explains these routes in more detail.
Choosing a private bereavement counsellor
If you’d rather not wait, or you want longer or more flexible support, you can see a counsellor or psychotherapist privately. “Counsellor” isn’t a protected title in the UK, so it’s worth taking a few minutes to check:
- Registration. Check the person is on a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, or, for a psychologist, the Health and Care Professions Council register. Our guide on how to check a register shows you how.
- Experience with grief. Ask about their training and experience with bereavement, and with your kind of loss, for example a sudden death, a suicide or the death of a child.
- How they work. Some counsellors mainly listen and let you lead. Others offer more structure, or ways to remember the person. Ask what sessions would be like.
- Practical things. Ask about fees, session length, cancellation terms, whether they offer reduced-fee places, and whether they see people in person, online or by phone.
It’s fine to have a first session and then decide whether to continue. See our questions to ask before you book and what happens in a first session.
Find shows practitioners whose listings mention bereavement. Therapist Circle is new and still growing, so there may be few or none near you yet. Many practitioners also work online.
When is the right time?
There’s no deadline for grief, and no right moment to ask for help. Some people want support in the first few weeks; others find the hardest time comes later, once the funeral is over and other people have gone back to normal life. Some services may suggest waiting a little while after a death before starting counselling, so ask them how they work. In the meantime, a helpline, your GP or someone you trust can help.
Practical help after a death
The practical tasks after a death can feel overwhelming on top of grief. GOV.UK has a step-by-step guide to what to do after someone dies, and if the person lived in England, Scotland or Wales, Tell Us Once lets you report a death to most government organisations in one go. If your partner has died, you may be able to get Bereavement Support Payment; GOV.UK explains who can claim.
If you’re supporting someone else
You don’t need the right words. Listening, saying the name of the person who died, and offering practical help often matter more. If you’re worried about someone, gently encourage them to use the support above, and see our guide to helping someone find a practitioner.
Common questions about bereavement counselling
What is bereavement counselling?
Bereavement counselling gives you regular, confidential time with a trained practitioner to talk about the person who has died, how you are feeling and how you are coping. It does not try to make you stop grieving. It aims to help you carry the loss in a way that feels more manageable.
Can I get free bereavement counselling?
Often, yes. Bereavement charities offer free helplines and, in many areas, free or low-cost one-to-one or group support. Some hospices support the families of people they cared for, and in England adults can refer themselves to NHS Talking Therapies. Availability and waiting times vary by area.
How soon after a death should I have counselling?
There is no set timetable. Some people want support straight away, and others look for it months or years later. Some services may suggest waiting a little while after the death, so ask them. If you are struggling to cope now, a helpline or your GP can help in the meantime.
Is it normal to still be grieving after a long time?
Grief has no fixed end date, and feelings can return at anniversaries or other times. If very difficult feelings are not easing as the months go by, or you cannot get back to everyday life, the NHS suggests seeing a GP, because this can be a sign of prolonged grief, which can be helped.
How do I check a bereavement counsellor is qualified?
Counsellor is not a protected title in the UK, so check the person is on a register accredited by the Professional Standards Authority, and note their membership number. Ask about their training and experience with grief, and with the kind of loss you have had.
Please read. We’re a directory: we don’t provide therapy, give medical advice or diagnose, and we don’t recommend, endorse or guarantee any practitioner. Always check a practitioner’s registration yourself on the public register; any check we show was correct only on the day it was made.
Call 999 or go to A&E if life is at risk. For urgent help that is not an emergency, call NHS 111. To talk, ring Samaritans free on 116 123 (24 hours). To text, message SHOUT to 85258.
In Scotland, you can also call NHS 24 on 111 for urgent help.
Sources: NHS: grief after bereavement or loss · Cruse Bereavement Support helpline · GOV.UK: what to do after someone dies. Last reviewed 20 October 2026. General information only, written for the UK. Not affiliated with the NHS, any charity listed here or any professional body.
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