Bereavement Support: Types of Counselling and Advice

Grief can have a significant impact on an individual’s physical and mental wellbeing. According to ACAS, one in ten employees in the UK are likely to be affected by bereavement at any given time.

Bereavement is something all individuals will experience at some point in their lives. When it affects someone in your organisation, managers and leaders play a crucial role in providing a clear, compassionate framework of advice and support. Developing an understanding of bereavement and its potential impact is an important first step.

What is bereavement?

When someone close to an individual dies, it is natural for them to experience a period of intense grief and loss. Emotions can be heightened and difficult to manage during this time. Bereavement describes the state a person is in when affected by this loss. While some employees may appear to cope and continue working without obvious difficulty, for others the experience can feel overwhelming.

An employee who is grieving may seem outwardly fine, yet be struggling beneath the surface and in need of support. For this reason, it is important for employers to offer practical and emotional bereavement support. Bereavement can be life changing, and a decision not to take time away from work does not mean that someone is unaffected.

What are the symptoms of bereavement?

People experience grief in different ways. According to the Kübler-Ross model, first outlined in Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ 1969 book On Death and Dying, there are five commonly recognised stages of grief:

• Denial, disbelief, numbness

• Anger and blame

• Bargaining

• Depressed mood, sadness, and crying

• Acceptance and coming to terms with the bereavement

There is no right or wrong way for an individual to grieve. Bereavement can be unpredictable, and individuals may experience a range of emotional and physical reactions, including:

• Shock and numbness, often described as feeling in a daze

• Overwhelming sadness and frequent crying

• Tiredness or exhaustion

• Anger, either directed towards the person who has died or as a more general sense of frustration

• Guilt, such as guilt about feeling angry, about things said or left unsaid, or about not being able to prevent the death

What types of bereavement support are available?

There are several forms of support available nationally to help individuals cope with loss. Psychological support, including loss and bereavement counselling, is widely recognised as an effective intervention. Trained counsellors provide confidential, professional support and encourage individuals to talk openly about their feelings in a safe and neutral environment. Grief can be hard to process, particularly with people who know you well, and counselling allows individuals to work through their emotions in a way that supports long-term wellbeing.

Bereavement support groups can also be valuable. Speaking with others who have experienced similar losses can help individuals feel less isolated and more understood.

Group support can help people to:

• Focus on the areas of life most affected by the bereavement

• Recognise that they are not alone in their grief

• Develop coping strategies and begin to accept their loss

• Concentrate on positive memories

• Grieve in a safe, non-judgemental space

Child bereavement is a particularly sensitive area. Specialist charities such as Winston’s Wish and Hope Again offer tailored support to help children and young people cope with grief in an age-appropriate and compassionate way.

Many organisations choose to offer bereavement support as part of a wider specialist wellbeing service. Where employees have access to an Employee Assistance Programme with HA | Wisdom Wellbeing, bereavement support and counselling form part of this specialist provision. This ensures employees can access timely, professional help during a difficult period, while managers are supported in responding appropriately and consistently.

What is Bereavement Support Allowance?

If an employee’s husband, wife, or civil partner died on or after 6 April 2017, they may be eligible to apply for Bereavement Support Payment.

This government benefit provides up to 18 months of financial support for those who are bereaved. If the partner died before that date, the individual may instead be eligible for Bereavement Allowance or Widowed Parent’s Allowance.

Bereavement Support Payment includes an initial larger payment, followed by up to 18 months of smaller monthly payments. There are two rates, depending on whether the individual receives Child Benefit. Those entitled to Child Benefit may receive an initial payment of £3,500 with subsequent monthly payments of £350. Those who do not receive Child Benefit may receive a £2,500 initial payment with monthly payments of £100.

Claims must be made within three months of the death to receive the full amount. These payments do not affect other benefits during the first year.

Employee Bereavement Rights in the UK

Here is a summary of the current statutory rights for working individuals in the UK:

Parental Bereavement (Jack’s Law)  If you lose a child under the age of 18 or experience a stillbirth after 24 weeks, you have a "day one" right to two weeks of statutory leave. If you have been with your employer for at least 26 weeks, you may also be eligible for Statutory Parental Bereavement Pay (£194.32 per week or 90% of your average earnings, whichever is lower).

Time Off for Dependants For the death of a spouse, civil partner, parent, or someone who relies on you for care, you are entitled to a "reasonable" amount of unpaid time off. This is intended to help you deal with emergencies, such as making funeral arrangements or attending the service.

Bereaved Partner’s Leave As of April 2026, if a mother or primary adopter dies within the first year of a child's life, the surviving partner has a "day one" right to take up to 52 weeks of unpaid leave to care for the child.

Compassionate Leave For those who are not "dependants" (such as a close friend or grandparent), there is currently no legal right to time off. However, many employers offer discretionary "Compassionate Leave" as part of their own company policy.

How does bereavement support help in the workplace?

Supporting bereaved employees brings clear benefits for both individuals and the organisation. A thoughtful, well-managed approach helps employees cope with their loss and also supports wider business outcomes, including:

• Supporting employees as they return to work

• Reducing absenteeism and long-term sickness absence

• Avoiding unnecessary staff turnover

• Minimising the impact on colleagues and teams

• Strengthening workplace culture, trust, and morale

Employers should clearly outline their approach to bereavement leave within the employee handbook. However, flexibility is essential. Every bereavement is different, and each request should be considered on its own merits. Deaths are often unexpected, and employees may need to take leave at short notice.

Given the sensitivity of bereavement, managers should approach these situations with care and compassion, considering factors such as:

Returning to work

A sympathetic and communicative approach can make this transition easier for the employee.

Phased returns

In some cases, a gradual return to work may be helpful and may be recommended by a GP if the employee has been signed off sick.

Flexible working requests

These are particularly common where an employee has lost a partner and now has sole responsibility for children, or where the loss of a sibling or family member leaves them with increased caring duties for parents or dependants.

How can HA | Wisdom Wellbeing support organisations when there’s a bereavement?

Where a death occurs in the workplace, support from trauma specialists may be required. These specialists can provide on-site individual and group support within 24 to 48 hours and help signpost employees to structured counselling services for ongoing care.

We can offer a supportive and confidential space to help your people make sense of how they're feeling. With the support of a specialist counsellor, bereavement support sessions can alleviate the distress associated with grief and help to develop long-term coping skills.

After all, bereavement in the workplace can be challenging to manage and may temporarily disrupt performance or operations. Individuals may require compassionate leave, adjustments to their role, or additional support. However, an open, supportive approach demonstrates organisational values in practice and reinforces a genuine commitment to employee wellbeing.

If you would like more information about bereavement support or any of the topics covered above, please contact HA | Wisdom Wellbeing.