Managing Grief and Loss
Monday 01 December 2025
Last updated: Thursday 04 December 2025
Written by Bethany Burnett, Assistant Psychological Practitioner in our Clinical Services Team.
Grief Awareness Week is organised and promoted by The Good grief Trust. Grief Awareness Week exists in an attempt to normalize grief and encourage those who are grieving to talk and seek support. Additionally, the unification of bereavement support services can highlight the need for ongoing support whilst raising the profiles of all bereavement services and aid raising funds.
A key message the charity shares is “Growing with Grief”
Losing a loved one feels like an ending in so many ways, but in time, it can also become the ground from which something new begins. After that loss, we can’t go back to who we were, but instead, we can grow into someone new shaped by love, memories, and resilience. This growth doesn’t erase the pain, but it allows HOPE to return. We may even become more present, more compassionate, more aware of what truly matters in life.”
When we experience loss, we may feel lost, numb and struggle to identify how we now move forward. Our despair can keep us stuck in time as we navigate how our lives may now look and feel different or our futures more uncertain than they once felt. Lois Tonkin’s ‘Growing Around Grief’ (1996) model demonstrates the reality of grief and how our lives are consumed by it immediately after a/the loss. However, as time passes, our feelings of grief and loss remain somewhat the same, yet we begin to grow ‘around’ it. This model along with Good Grief’s 2026 campaign theme highlights how we can grow from the darkness we feel and allow hope to return.
To acknowledge this theme, the trust has encouraged to plant seeds in memory of someone you love. This is representative of how, with the support of others, we can lay foundations for a stronger future ahead.
Supporting Others
When supporting those experiencing grief and loss, it’s important to be mindful of the language we use in our communication and support. Phrases such as ‘be strong’, ‘everything happens for a reason’ and ‘you need to move on’ can be unhelpful, invalidating and dismissive. Instead, be present, offer support and acknowledge the emotions, ‘I’m sorry you are going through this’ reminding them you care.
Visit The Good Grief Trust’s website For more information and to discover local events.