Bereavement counselling for children and young adults
Who is this service for?
This service is for children and young people aged between 5-18 years.
Who can access it?
Our qualified bereavement therapists work with children and young people who have lost someone close to them. We are able to work with people 6 months following the bereavement. If you live in Manchester or Salford, we can work with you and your family to help you cope with any bereavement you’ve experienced.
How much does it cost?
It is free to access this service.
Gaddum’s bereavement services provide therapeutic support to children and young people who have suffered a bereavement. Our qualified bereavement trained therapists will work with anyone who’s lost someone close to them and they’re finding it difficult to cope with the upsetting emotions that come up when we experience a death of a family member or friend.
We understand that death can come at any time and it can be a tough to imagine what life is like without that person. We know sometimes it takes a bit longer to process and that’s what we’re here for; to help you remember the person you’ve lost whilst living your life to the fullest.
We accept referrals from anyone, though if you’re under 16 we ask that you get your parent or carer to help you fill in the referral form. For anyone other than the individual referring a child or young person, consent of that individual must be gained before sending us the referral.
Our waiting lists may take up to 8 months for Manchester and Salford residents. While you are waiting, you have the option of accessing online support, guided by Gaddum.
What sort of loss does Gaddum work with?
Our qualified bereavement trained therapists will work with anyone who’s lost someone close to them and they’re finding it difficult to cope with the upsetting emotions that come up when we experience a death of a family member or friend.
We understand that death can come at any time and it can be a tough to imagine what life is like without that person.
We know sometimes it takes a bit longer to process and that’s what we’re here for; to help you remember the person you’ve lost whilst living your life to the fullest.
Why do my family need to be involved?
If you’re over 16, it’s up to you if you want to involve your parents in your therapy.
If you’re under 16, we think that it helps to involve your family so they can help you cope with the bereavement too. This doesn’t mean that they’ll be coming to your sessions with you, but we can talk to them about how you’re coping and maybe help them to understand why you feel like you do and even show them ways to help you deal with the loss outside of the therapy.
We’ll only tell them as much as you want us to, unless there is we feel they need to hear – but even then, we’ll talk to you about that before we talk to your family.
What is a Traumatic Bereavement?
We know that when we experience a bereavement it feels traumatic, however when we talk about “traumatic bereavements”, we mean something a bit different.
We see a traumatic bereavement when someone has died in a sudden, shocking or disturbing way. Some examples of this may be where someone has died by accident (like a car crash or falling off a ladder), or where someone has died because they’ve taken their own life or have been killed by somebody. A traumatic bereavement can even be where a death has occurred and you might have found the body or experienced the ambulance or police coming into your home when the death has been discovered.
When a loss like this happens, you may feel the same feelings as death which isn’t traumatic but you may also experience some really complex emotions that are caused by the trauma.
Our specialist service aims to work with both the bereavement and trauma you may have experienced. Because trauma can be so difficult and complex, we have specially trained therapists to help you feel better.
If you’d like some help or advice, please send me an email to childbereavement@gaddum.org.uk, or you can speak to one of my team by calling 0161 834 6069.
What people say about my therapy service
I couldn't be more grateful, you supported me during the most difficult time of my life. You listened to my most intimate feelings, emotions and thoughts. I now feel more confident and excited about the future.
I have struggled for many years with anxiety and depression. It felt safe to speak to Gaddum about what was troubling me and talk through my emotions. I had never done that before.
My counsellor was very gifted. She didn’t give solutions, but she guided me to find my own. She was very empathetic and very professional.
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