Help everyone find grief support this National Grief Awareness Week
Independent evaluation has shown that 86% of users find AtaLoss.org helpful.
“AtaLoss.org is outstanding. This comprehensive resource empowers professionals like me to enable clients to access the time-appropriate information and trusted landings they need.” -Alison Bryan MA (Oxon), UKCP reg Psychodynamic Psychotherapist and Supervisor
“I was lost…. I needed somewhere to turn…what to do, where to go. AtaLoss.org provided that for me. If you know where to go and what to do, that certainty makes everything that little bit easier.” - Darragh Ennis, from ITV’s The Chase
Grief affects everyone differently
We are grateful to The Good Grief Trust, founders of National Grief Awareness Week, for the many ways in which they have mobilised individuals and organisations over recent years to bring grief and bereavement to the attention of society.
Whenever grief and bereavement are highlighted painful feelings can be triggered, so it is important to ensure that support can be found. We encourage everyone to direct people to AtaLoss.org throughout the conversations and activities of the week.
Award-winning AtaLoss.org, which featured this year at the European Grief Conference, provides a unique bereavement signposting service, working towards the highest standard, tailored to circumstances for all round support.
The need for effective signposting was identified by the UK Commission on Bereavement, which found that many bereaved people do not know how to access help, and they highlighted AtaLoss.org.
With more than 2,000 services and resources, regularly reviewed and added to, AtaLoss.org is directed to by government, media helplines, local authorities, businesses, bereavement services, GPs, social prescribers, funeral directors and mental health services, and is currently helping more than 19,500 visitors each month.
National Grief Awareness Week (2nd -8th December) falls within Bereavement Matters Season, a wider programme of activity across November and December that brings together bereavement charities, community groups and other organisations.
The season aims to build upon and amplify the various grief and bereavement themes and opportunities throughout November and December. Other key moments include Remembrance Day, Survivors of Suicide and Loss Day, Children’s Grief Awareness Week and the various festivals up to and including Christmas and the New Year. The season seeks to encourage conversations about the impact of grief and the importance of bereavement support, while helping bereaved people know where to turn for help.
The importance of signposting
Signposting to bereavement support is more than naming a few, well known services, as these can be overwhelmed. It is helping people actually find support; help which is right for the circumstances, when it is needed.
Share your story, your service, or your message of understanding on social media using and tagging @AtaLossCharity.
You can also watch video stories from well-known supporters who share their own experiences of bereavement and the importance of knowing how to find help.
Reach out to someone who is grieving
Supporting someone who is grieving can feel daunting. In this short film, Revd Lisa Coupland, from BBC’s The Traitors, shares how we can do so, alongside directing them to further help.
Find support for you or someone you know
Direct every bereaved person who may need support to AtaLoss.org.
Help people connect to the support you offer
If your charity, community group, faith organisation, or service offers regular bereavement-related support, you can list it for free on AtaLoss.org.
When people search for help, your listing ensures they can find your service quickly and easily, helping more bereaved people to access the right support when they need it most.
Together, we can transform how grief is supported and ensure every bereaved person can find the help they need.
*Sue Ryder. (2022). A better route through grief: Support for people facing grief across the UK (Research commissioned by Sue Ryder and conducted by ClearView Research). Sue Ryder. https://media.sueryder.org/documents/A_better_route_through_grief_report.pdf