In this section you will find links to chatrooms and information about support groups and counselling for people who are bereaved.
Where possible our links will direct you to the specific web page containing the information we refer to below rather than to the home page of an organisation.
Some sites allow you to look at existing discussions without registering as a user, but will require you to register before you can join in the discussions. Other sites will require you to register before you can look at or join in with existing discussions.
Many of the websites mentioned on this page provide other information and/or services besides chatrooms.
Chatrooms and message boards
Beyond Indigo has message boards on several topics including the loss of a partner, child, parent, recent loss, memories, how you’re feeling today and many more.
The Compassionate Friends has a link to their schedule of online support community sessions for parents, grandparents and siblings following the death of a child. The site is based in the USA so the times stated for hosted chats are behind UK time. You can also register for their online support community.
CRUSE Bereavement Care has a website for young people with an interactive section including a message board.
GROWW (Grief Recovery Online) has a main chatroom open round the clock for live chat. [Please note you will be seen onscreen as soon as you register - don't be surprised if people say hello to you - but you can just use a nickname.] The site also has discussion forums and additional chatrooms for specific groups of people which chat at set times. GROWW is based in the USA so the times stated for hosted chats are behind UK time.
Healing After Loss hosts a general chatroom as well as chats on specific subjects at set times. The site is based in the USA so the times stated for hosted chats are behind UK time (the site includes a time converter).
If I Should Die has an online forum which hosts discussions on a range of bereavement issues, including coping with grief and planning a funeral.
The Light Beyond Bereavement includes forums for the loss of a partner, child, parent, sibling or friend; coping with grief and death; and practical issues such as funerals. It also has an informal chat lounge for other subjects.
Sibling Support is part of The Compassionate Friends and offers an online forum for bereaved siblings over 16 to talk to others who have been through a similar experience.
Webhealing.com by Tom Golden offers grief discussion boards where people can talk about issues related to grief and healing. It also has ‘a place to honour grief’ where people can add their own story about the person they have lost or their own grief and healing. A number of contributors to this page are happy to correspond with other people who are bereaved.
Winston’s Wish has a talk forum for children. Subjects include the loss of a parent, sibling or friend.
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Support groups and support services
Your GP or Practice Nurse should be able to recommend a local bereavement support group.
CRUSE Bereavement Care has a national helpline and branches throughout the UK offering help to all those who have been bereaved, through counselling, social contact and advice on practical matters.
The Compassionate Friends is an international organisation of bereaved parents offering friendship, support and understanding to other bereaved parents, including parents of adults who have died.
The Childhood Bereavement Network aims to improve the quality and range of bereavement support for children, young people, their families and other caregivers. Offers information about support services.
The National Association of Widows is run by the widowed for the widowed – both men and women. It offers friendship and social events, and a confidential befriending service to support newly-bereaved members.
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Counselling
Your GP or Practice Nurse should be able to recommend a counselling service.
BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) provides a range of contact sheets and factsheets, including choosing a counsellor and can provide details of local counsellors, including those who have specialised training around bereavement and those who may be able to provide free or low cost counselling or offer concessions.
Please note: Marie Curie Cancer Care provides links to third party websites where appropriate and is not responsible for the availability or content of any of these linked sites.
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