For many children their first real experience with loss happens when a pet dies. When a well loved pet dies, children need consolation, love, support and affection more than complicated medical explanations. They need to have their feelings understood and validated. Their reactions will depend on their age and […]
Children and young people grieve just as much as adults but they show it in different ways. They learn how to grieve by copying the responses of the adults around them, and rely on adults to provide them with the support they need in their grief. How might bereaved children react and what may help? […]
We all go through endings. Sometimes we say goodbye to friends, family, lovers, partners, jobs and to those who have died. But do you understand how to handle goodbyes with grace, compassion, and kindness? Have you ever pondered that marking an ending with a simple ritual helps you to move forward, or move on, or be […]
Today is a sad day. Over the weekend our lovely dog Barney became very ill and we knew the end was coming for him. He was 18 years so a great age in dog years – we have had so many happy times with him. He is the same age as my daughter who turned […]
I was driving home from taking my friend Nicky for her brain scan at St. George’s Hospital in Tooting as she had a “funny” turn last October where she fainted or had a “mini fit” and I started listening to Jeremy Vine’s Radio 2 Show where they were discussing bereavement and Gordon Brown speaking for […]
I was having a cupcake and a chat with my 16 year old daughter in the new local coffee shop in Lingfield when this article caught our eye in The Daily Express about the highly controversial story line in Eastenders on BBC1 about cot death, bereavement, mental illness and post natal depression. I have always […]
