Free Grief Counselling and Bereavement Support in the UK

Grief can be overwhelming, and seeking support is one of the most important things you can do for your wellbeing. Many people assume that good bereavement support requires private therapy fees they cannot afford. In fact, the UK has a rich network of free, high-quality bereavement support — you simply need to know where to look. This guide maps out the main services, who they are for, and how to access them.

NHS bereavement support: starting with your GP

Your GP is usually the best first point of contact if you are struggling with grief. They can assess how your bereavement is affecting your mental and physical health and refer you to appropriate support — including NHS Talking Therapies (formerly known as IAPT: Improving Access to Psychological Therapies).

NHS Talking Therapies provides free, evidence-based psychological therapies for adults experiencing depression, anxiety, and bereavement-related conditions. The most common therapeutic approaches offered include Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), counselling for depression, and guided self-help. In most areas of England, you can also self-refer without going through your GP first — visit nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies to find your local service.

Waiting times vary significantly by region. In some areas, you may receive an initial assessment within two to three weeks; in others, the wait for ongoing counselling can be three to six months. While waiting, the resources below can provide meaningful interim support.

Cruse Bereavement Care: the UK's main national charity

Cruse Bereavement Care (cruse.org.uk) is the UK's largest and most established bereavement charity, providing free support to anyone who has been bereaved. Their services include:

• National helpline: 0808 808 1677, free to call from landlines and most mobile networks, open Monday to Friday 9.30am–5pm (with extended hours on some evenings)
• Local face-to-face support: Cruse has over 80 area services across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, providing in-person counselling and support groups with trained volunteers
• Online chat: available via the Cruse website for those who find phone conversations difficult
• Young Person's Service: Hope Again (hopeagain.org.uk) is Cruse's dedicated service for young people aged 12–25 who have been bereaved

Cruse's volunteers are trained bereavement supporters, not qualified psychotherapists, but the quality and consistency of their training is high. For many people, Cruse support is exactly what is needed; for those requiring more intensive clinical intervention, Cruse can also help signpost to appropriate services.

Note that Cruse Scotland (crusescotland.org.uk) operates independently and has its own helpline: 0845 600 2227.

Support for children and young people

Children and young people who have been bereaved have particular needs that are best addressed by specialists. Two organisations lead this work in the UK:

Winston's Wish (winstonswish.org) is a national charity supporting children and young people bereaved of a parent or sibling. They offer a helpline (08088 020 021, free), online support, family support weekends, and an extensive range of resources for parents, carers, and schools. Winston's Wish also has a specific programme for children bereaved by suicide.

Child Bereavement UK (childbereavementuk.org) supports both bereaved children and families, and also families who have experienced the death of a child. Their helpline is 0800 02 888 40. In addition to direct support, Child Bereavement UK provides extensive training for schools and healthcare professionals, making it a key resource if you are trying to help a child who has been bereaved.

Both charities are genuinely excellent and have substantial evidence-based programmes. If a child in your life is struggling with bereavement and you are unsure where to turn, either of these organisations is the right place to start.

Grief Encounter and AtaLoss.org: finding local support

Grief Encounter (griefencounter.org.uk) provides free bereavement support to children, young people, and their families. They offer one-to-one counselling, group sessions, and a helpline (0808 802 0111). Their Grief Chat service provides instant online support via text, which many young people find more accessible than telephone calls.

AtaLoss.org serves a different but vital function: it is a national directory of bereavement support services maintained by St Christopher's Hospice. Rather than providing direct support itself, AtaLoss allows you to search by postcode for bereavement support services in your local area — including services that are not nationally prominent but may be right on your doorstep. Many hospices, faith communities, and local charities provide excellent free bereavement support that you would simply not find without a localised search tool.

If you have a preferred faith tradition, your local place of worship may also offer pastoral bereavement support that is warm, consistent, and entirely free.

Online and telephone resources for peer support

Sometimes the most helpful support comes from people who truly understand what you are going through — other bereaved people. The following online communities provide free, moderated peer support:

• Sue Ryder Online Bereavement Community(sueryder.org/bereavement-support): a free online forum with hundreds of thousands of posts from bereaved people, moderated by Sue Ryder counsellors; also offers free online bereavement counselling sessions
• The Good Grief Trust (good-grief.org): run by bereaved people, the Good Grief Trust provides a directory of support and runs Good Grief Festivals — free in-person events bringing bereaved people together
• Widowed and Young (WAY) (widowedandyoung.org.uk): a peer-to-peer support network specifically for people widowed under 51, with local groups, an online forum, and a WhatsApp community
• Compassionate Friends(tcf.org.uk): support specifically for bereaved parents — the helpline is 0345 123 2304 and there are local support groups across the UK