Bereavement

Bereavement Support

Marsden House offers professional bereavement support to families after the funeral service. This service extends and prolongs the care we give to the families we serve. Some families may not need this service – others need and benefit from the extra help it gives.

The funeral is only the first step in saying goodbye and working through the grief process with family and friends. This is especially helpful at this time and immediately afterwards.

It is very important to talk about the thoughts and feelings you might have as you grieve but as time passes sometimes family and friends are not always available to comfort you and allow you to talk about your loved one.



Our free Bereavement Support Service is offered to help get you through the bereavement period and on the way to understanding and coping with your loss.

Please note: we are not a counselling service, but a support service.

Bereavement is the name given to the feelings we experience when someone close to us dies. During this time, which may last for months or even years, we suffer all the pains of loss and grief.

Our service gives you the opportunity to grieve naturally, each in your own different ways, and to express your feelings rather than bottling them up inside you.

Loss is the feeling we experience when someone close to us dies and we miss their physical presence, their love and their friendship. To regain our health and happiness we have to acknowledge and accept this loss. We may not have the physical presence of the person who died but we generally do have memories, photos, letters and mementoes of times we shared together. These memories are often very painful at first but as time passes become a comfort to us.

Grief is the way we express our loss. It is made up of the many different feelings we experience when someone dies. We may experience shock, numbness, disbelief, anger, guilt, frustration, yearning, loneliness, depression, feelings of “why me” or denial. Crying, feelings of extreme sadness and talking about the person who died are the most common ways we grieve. Grief is very complicated and takes many forms. Some people are very frightened of strong, unfamiliar feelings and believe they cannot cope.

When a family death develops into a crisis, the problems may seem overwhelming to both the grieving person and their close friends and relatives. It is often easier to talk to an outsider about personal matters – someone who is trained to listen, help you explore and discuss ways of coping with your feelings.

Sometimes people experience a delayed grief reaction many months or even years after a death. When grief is delayed or blocked counselling may sometimes be necessary.

Find out more about our Tree Planting ceremony and our Service of Remembrance.

If you would like to make use of this free service please call Marsden House – 0800 522 444