Grief Encounter

Thank you to everyone who has participated in our Winter Landscape of Memories so far ✨ There is still time to donate and dedicate a snowflake in memory of your loved one. Your contribution will help us support more bereaved children, young people, and families in 2025. To take part, visit https://lnkd.in/enwMHvh3 For support, call 0808 802 0111 or email bereavementsupport@griefencounter.org.uk #WinterLandscapeOfMemories #DonateInMemory

Shine a Light on Crystal House, our London Hub this #NationalGriefAwarenessWeek 🏡 Grief and bereavement can change our relationship with places and spaces; areas that were once a favourite spot may feel too painful to visit without our special person. Locations associated with the loss may evoke feelings of panic or trauma. As part of our healing, we seek out spaces that offer safety and comfort; for some children and young people, this might be school, a place that provides consistency and routine when their world has been turned upside-down. At Grief Encounter, we strive to help children, young people and families develop and maintain spaces that validate their grief experience. 🌟 Our hub in London, Crystal House, offers a range of support for the local community. Individuals can contribute to our memory wall installation by adding a coloured padlock to remember their loved one who died. 🌟 Our therapy rooms provide creative spaces for children and young people to access one-on-one therapy or Bereavement support sessions. Each room has a range of art materials, games and other resources to help children, young people, and their families express their feelings associated with grief. 🌟 All Grief Relief Kits begin their journey from Crystal House, and the team personalises each kit depending on the age and needs of the young person receiving it. 🌟 The team also create care packages for parents or carers, each kit designed to support self-care and resilience. #SafeSpace #CrystalHouse #GriefSupport #GriefEncounter #WereHereForYou

✨ Donate in Memory this Festive Season This festive season, honor a loved one by dedicating a snowflake in their memory on our Winter Landscape of Memories ❄️ It is estimated that 26,900 parents die each year in the UK* – that's a newly bereaved child every 20 minutes. Your donation will enable Grief Encounter to support more bereaved children and young people in 2025 and beyond. Thank you for helping us bring comfort and support to families grieving this winter. *Childhood Bereavement Network To take part, visit https://lnkd.in/eV5duc2k For support, call 0808 802 0111 or email bereavementsupport@griefencounter.org.uk #WinterLandscapeOfMemories #DonateInMemory #NationalGriefAwarenessWeek

Today, during National Grief Awareness Week with #TheGoodGriefTrust we Shine a Light on our Bereavement Support Workers. "As Bereavement Support Workers, we are the first point of contact for many young people and their families. By providing a safe space for those affected to open up about their grief, we can ensure we put them onto the best pathway to explore their journey through grief" “We send out Grief Relief Kits that are tailored to the specific needs of the children and young people we support, ensuring they get the most out of our resources” “Beyond our resources, we help host events for children, young people and families to come together, connect with others and commemorate their loved ones” “Most recently, we attended Forever Night, where we planned the evening around families and their loved ones. We planned activities around grief, had a fire pit where we roasted marshmallows, and shared memories of those who had died. We worked as a team to ensure that families and children felt supported by Grief Encounter throughout the night” “Ultimately, the role is to make sure that children, young people, and families do not feel alone with their grief during what might be the most difficult period of their lives” You make a huge difference, 💜 T H A N K Y O U 💜 Elizabeth Grabert #NationalGriefAwarenessWeek #Hope #Healing #ShineaLight #GriefSupport #BereavementSupportWorker

Thank you to our amazing Aviva volunteers who came in today to wrap Christmas presents 🎁 It means alot to Grief Encounter and the children, young people and families that we support. Alison Burke Justin Flindall Stewart Easton You are all stars 🌟 #NationalGriefAwarenessWeek #Aviva #presentwrapping #volunteering

This week is National Grief Awareness Week with #TheGoodGriefTrust🌟 Today, we Shine a Light on our Art and Play Therapy Projects at our South West Hub 🎨 #GriefAwareness #ArtTherapy #Griefsupport #NationalGriefAwarenessWeek

Dedicate a snowflake to a loved one ❄️

Introducing our Winter Landscape of Memories ✨ At Grief Encounter, we understand that the festive season can be an especially difficult time for those grieving a loved one. This season, we invite you to honour a loved one’s memory by dedicating a snowflake in their name on our Winter Landscape ❄️ We look forward to seeing the landscape fill with love and cherished memories. We hope this simple act of remembrance brings you comfort and time for reflection. To take part, visit https://lnkd.in/eV5duc2k For support, call 0808 802 0111 or email bereavementsupport@griefencounter.org.uk #WinterLandscapeOfMemories #DonateInMemory

🕯️On Tuesday, November 19th, 2024, Grief Encounter invited children, young people, and families to our annual 'Forever Night' as part of Childrsns Grief Awareness Week, which GE initiated in 2015. It was a night full of hope, memory-making, and remembrance. All the families that attended participated in our hope tree activity, mask making to express feelings, and created photo frames for photos for treasured memories. We were joined by a magician and musician who played some loving songs around a fire pit while children toasted marshmallows and made new connections with others with shared experiences of grief. Our Clinical Director Parminder Sahota shares: 'The theme for Children’s Grief Awareness Week was HOPE. Hope is knowing that it's okay to feel everything- sadness, anger, or even joy again. Hope is the kindness of a friend; hope is the memory of happy moments that stay with you forever. Let's celebrate the power of hope, and together, we can ensure that no one feels alone and has the right support'. Grief in children and young people is often misunderstood. It is not linear, and it doesn't always look the way we expect. Some children express sadness openly, while others mask it behind anger, withdrawal, or even laughter. What is consistent is the need for understanding, compassion, and a safe space to navigate the complex emotions that come with the loss of someone close. At Grief Encounter, we believe that every child deserves the opportunity to be heard, to heal, and to find hope again 💜 #forever #griefsupport #arttherapy #firepit #candlelight #hope #forevernight