For bereavement support in the UK, you can contact a grief charity or local hospice, ask your GP about suitable help, or approach a qualified private counsellor. Cruse provides bereavement support through trained volunteers; this is not the same as every service offering clinical counselling. Ask about eligibility, referral, waiting time and cost before choosing a route.
Choose the route that fits your question
Someone to listen after a loss: check a bereavement charity or hospice for the support it currently offers in your area.
Anxiety, depression or difficulty coping: ask your GP or the relevant NHS service about assessment and suitable treatment.
A particular counsellor or session format: check professional registration, grief experience, fees and cancellation terms before booking.
Does contacting Cruse require a GP referral?
You can contact Cruse directly through its published support routes. Ask what is currently available locally and whether you need an assessment or waiting-list registration. Direct contact does not guarantee immediate one-to-one sessions.
Is bereavement support the same as counselling?
Not always. Support may mean a listening conversation, peer group or trained volunteer, while counselling is a particular therapeutic service. Ask who provides the support, their role and training, and whether the service fits what you are seeking.
Useful services and next steps
Use the charity’s own support page for the current contact route and service options, rather than assuming a search result is a booking page. Check Cruse support options
For grief information and ideas for supporting yourself or another person, Mind offers a bereavement guide and links to support. Local service availability varies. Read Mind’s bereavement guide
For a grieving child or young person, or a parent bereaved of a child, contact Child Bereavement UK. Winston’s Wish is now part of the same charity; use the current shared contact route. Contact Child Bereavement UK
If work is adding pressure, ask about practical adjustments as well as emotional support. Bereavement leave and asking your employer
Questions before arranging an appointment
Does the service offer grief support, counselling or assessment for a specific mental-health difficulty?
Are there location, age, referral or eligibility requirements?
What are the waiting time, session format and any charges or cancellation terms?
Example enquiry: “I am looking for support after a bereavement. Do you help people in [area], can I contact you directly, and what support is available while waiting?” You do not need to include a detailed personal history in an initial general enquiry.
Does finding a service mean I have to book immediately?
No. You can ask about options first and decide what feels suitable. If you need urgent help, use the urgent-support routes in the existing section below rather than waiting for a routine appointment.
Can a friend make the first enquiry for me?
A friend can help you find general information if you want. The service will explain what consent and direct contact it needs before discussing your personal circumstances or arranging care.
The NHS overview explains support options after loss. Use the relevant local service’s criteria; a webpage about anxiety and depression does not establish that every grief-support request will follow the same pathway. Distinguish grief support from treatment pathways
If you are supporting someone else, a simple, undemanding message can accompany practical help without pushing them toward a particular service. What to say when someone dies: examples
What is bereavement counselling?
Bereavement counselling, sometimes called grief counselling, gives you regular, protected time with a trained person to talk about the person who died, the way they died and what life is like now. A counsellor does not tell you how to grieve or when you should feel better. As the NHS describes counselling in general, you talk about your thoughts, feelings and experiences and the therapist helps you find your own solutions.
Support comes in different shapes. Some people want one phone call to a helpline on a hard night. Others prefer a series of one-to-one sessions, a peer group of people who have had a similar loss, or online chat. There is no right amount of help and no deadline for asking: some people reach out in the first weeks, others months or years later. Our guide to understanding grief explains why grief can come and go in waves.
How do you get bereavement counselling on the NHS?
There are two main routes. The first is your GP. The NHS suggests seeing a GP if you are struggling to cope, if low mood has lasted more than 2 weeks, if what you are trying yourself is not helping, or if you have signs of prolonged grief disorder, such as finding it very hard to accept the death or to return to everyday activities. Your GP can also tell you about local bereavement services.
In England, adults can contact NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression directly; age and local eligibility rules apply. An assessment determines suitable support, so self-referral is not a promise of bereavement counselling. In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, check the relevant local NHS pathway or ask your GP.
What does Cruse Bereavement Support offer?
Cruse Bereavement Support is a national charity for anyone affected by grief. Its national helpline on 0808 808 1677 is free from landlines and mobiles. It is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9.30am to 5pm, and Tuesday from 1pm to 8pm, and is closed at weekends. You can also contact Cruse through a webform at any time.
Cruse has over 80 local branches across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Local services can offer one-to-one or group support with the same trained bereavement volunteer over several sessions. In Scotland, look to Cruse Scotland, a registered Scottish charity, whose support helpline is 0808 802 6161 and free to call.
Which charities help after the death of a child or a parent?
Some losses are best met by people who specialise in them. These organisations each run their own helpline:
Child Bereavement UK supports children and young people aged 25 or under who are grieving, and parents whose baby or child has died. Helpline 0800 02 888 40, weekdays 8am to 8pm.
Winston's Wish is now part of Child Bereavement UK. Use the unified charity’s current contact page for available support rather than relying on an older separate helpline listing.
The Compassionate Friends is run by bereaved parents for bereaved parents. Its helpline 0345 123 2304 is open every day from 10am to 4pm and 7pm to 10pm, at the cost of a standard landline call.
Sands supports anyone affected by the death of a baby. Its helpline 0808 164 3332 is free and open weekdays 10am to 3pm, with evening hours on some days.
If you are supporting a grieving child or friend rather than grieving yourself, our article on how to support someone who is grieving may help.
Can a hospice or your employer offer bereavement support?
Hospices often support families well beyond the death. The NHS explains that hospice care extends to those close to the patient and continues into the bereavement period. If the person who died was cared for by a hospice, ask its family support or bereavement team what they offer. If the person was not cared for by a hospice, you can still ask your local hospice what bereavement support it offers; the Hospice UK hospice care finder lists hospices by postcode so you can check what is near you.
Your workplace may help too. Acas suggests using your organisation's employee assistance programme, if one is available. It is worth asking HR what it includes.
How do you find a private bereavement counsellor?
If you prefer to choose your own counsellor or want to start sooner, you can pay privately. The NHS advises choosing a therapist who is registered with a professional organisation that is accredited by the Professional Standards Authority. The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy has a searchable therapist directory, which lets you search for counsellors by city or postcode.
It is fine to have a short first conversation with two or three counsellors before deciding. Ask about their experience with grief, how many sessions they usually suggest, their fees and whether they offer phone or video sessions. The relationship matters: if it does not feel right after a session or two, you can look for someone else.
When should you get urgent help?
If you feel you cannot keep yourself safe, or you are worried about someone else, treat it as an emergency. The NHS says to call 999 or go to A&E if a life is at risk, and that a mental health emergency should be taken as seriously as a physical one. For urgent help that is not an emergency in England, call 111 and select the mental health option.
Samaritans: 116 123, free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Welsh Language Line: 0808 164 0123, free, every evening 7pm to 11pm.
Scotland: call 111 and choose the mental health option to reach the NHS 24 Mental Health Hub.
Northern Ireland: Lifeline crisis helpline 0808 808 8000, free, 24 hours a day.
Young people: the NHS notes that under-19s can call Childline on 0800 1111, open 24 hours a day.
Frequently asked questions: Bereavement counselling
Is bereavement counselling free in the UK?
It can be. NHS Talking Therapies are free, and the Cruse, Cruse Scotland and Samaritans helplines are free to call. Private counsellors charge a fee, and some employers offer support through an employee assistance programme.
Can I refer myself for bereavement counselling?
You can contact grief charities or a local hospice directly and ask about their referral requirements. In England, NHS Talking Therapies accepts direct requests for help with anxiety and depression, subject to eligibility and assessment; it does not guarantee bereavement counselling. Check the relevant local pathway elsewhere in the UK.
How soon after a death can I have counselling?
There is no set time. A helpline can be used from the first day. Some people find structured counselling more useful once the funeral and first practical tasks are over, but you can ask for support whenever you feel you need it.
What is the Cruse helpline number?
The Cruse Bereavement Support helpline is 0808 808 1677. In Scotland, Cruse Scotland's support helpline is 0808 802 6161.
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