grief is hard
death can impact all of life
what is the bereavement journey?
The Bereavement Journey is a 7-Session series of films and discussion groups, offered in person, that gently guides people through the most common aspects of grief and bereavement to help them process the death of someone important to them, whether recent or long ago.
Facilitated by experienced volunteers and accompanied by a Participant Manual, any person bereaved at any time is helped to consider for themselves the implications of their bereavement and to discern next steps. For most people The Bereavement Journey provides the tools they need, either to process their loss without one-to-one professional assistance or to identify where further support might help.
The Bereavement Journey is owned by the Christian charity AtaLoss, which offers UK wide signposting for bereavement and equips churches to provide community bereavement support through The Bereavement Journey. The programme is run by Christians as it uniquely offers a final Session on faith questions that arise in bereavement, provided from a Christian perspective. This follows the main Sessions and is clearly optional for those who attend, making The Bereavement Journey suitable for everyone.
Topics include:
• Attachment, separation and loss • The pain and responses of grief • Anger and guilt • Coping with others’ reactions • Delayed and suppressed grief • Adjusting to change • Moving forward healthily
why is the bereavement journey important?
The loss of anyone important can impact greatly - not just those who are closely related - and understanding support can be hard to find. Also, many people will not have had the opportunity to grieve a death in the past and not realise how it could be affecting them, or they may only just be beginning to grieve a past death now.
Bereavement is one of the most stressful times in life and loss needs to be processed. Without support, grief can lead to mental ill-health, physical ill-health and a range of other possible outcomes, such as low attainment, behavioural problems, job-loss, relationship breakdown, alcohol/substance abuse and crime.
The Bereavement Journey provides a safe space for bereaved people to talk with others who understand the pain of grief, to explore the impact of their loss and consider ways they might resolve issues they are facing, for a healthy and positive future.
who is the bereavement journey for?
Any bereaved person (18 years and over), bereaved of anyone at any time, by death. The material is largely general, benefitting people whatever the relationship to the deceased or circumstance of the death, and has occasional content for specific situations. It mainly helps people grieving someone they have known who has died but now also helps those grieving a pregnancy loss or neonatal death, and those who are in anticipatory grief. However, it is best Participants in these latter situations are made aware there will be aspects which will be less relevant to them.
Many people attend The Bereavement Journey in the months following the death. But others may be finding their grief surfacing from an unprocessed death from years beforehand or want to explore how a past bereavement might have affected them.
Since a recently bereaved person may be numb, in shock or very raw, we recommend attendance at least a few weeks after the death. This is not a hard and fast rule though, as sometimes bereaved people can be desperate and unable to find help. Each individual's needs and wishes should be taken into consideration. However, it is best that Participants attend once the funeral has taken place, as the funeral is discussed, (unless the person's grief is anticipatory, or the funeral is delayed). In any case we recommend that those who attend The Bereavement Journey early in their grief process consider coming again later, to benefit from the material when they are further along their griet journey.
