Please see below some supports that you may find helpful if you are experiencing loss, change or bereavement.
Clips
Helplines
Cruse Scotland offers support, advice and information to children, young people and adults when someone dies.
Call 0845 600 2227 Monday – Thursday 10am – 8pm and Friday 10am – 4pm
Petal Support provides counselling to people who have been affected by the loss of a family member or partner to homicide or suicide in Scotland. They are also providing additional counselling for those who have been affected by a COVID-19 bereavement.
Call 01698 324502 during office hours
Ayrshire Cancer Support are currently providing bespoke bereavement counselling to anyone who has been affected by a COVID-19 bereavement.
Call 01563 538008 during office hours or email admin@ayrshirecs.org anytime
Child Bereavement UK – provides support for anyone who has lost a child, and for children themselves who are bereaved. The Helpline is operating as normal, Monday – Friday, 9am – 5pm (except Bank Holidays). Helpline: 0800 02 888 40 Live Chat via website and email support@childbereavementuk.org
Stillbirth and Neonatal Death Charity (SANDS) – provides information and support for anybody affected by the death of a baby. Some of the services that we offer include a free national helpline and a bereavement support app for parents, families, carers and health professionals.
The Compassionate Friends – offers a range of services supporting bereaved parents and their families. Email: info@tcf.org.uk or fill in the form below. Office telephone no: 0345 120 3785 (9.30 – 4.30 Mon to Fri)
Sudden – helps people who have experienced a sudden bereavement to access specialist information and advice. Call: 0800 2600 400 Operating hours: 10am – 4pm Monday – Friday help@sudden.org
Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland – provide free care and bereavement counselling to people suffering from grief. Tel: 08088026161. Email support@crusescotland.org.uk Live Chat – 9am – 9pm Monday – Friday
Breathing Space – Breathing Space is a free, confidential phone and web based service for people in Scotland experiencing low mood, depression or anxiety. Tel: 0800 83 85 87 Weekdays: Monday-Thursday 6pm to 2am, Weekend: Friday 6pm-Monday 6am Webchat is available: Monday to Friday, 6.00pm to 2.00am /Saturday and Sunday, 4.00pm to 12.00am
Samaritans – Get in Touch About Anything That’s Troubling You No Matter How Big or Small the Issue Is. We’re Here to Help You Work Through What’s on Your Mind. On the phone 116 123. Via email jo@samaritans.org is free. In person Visiting us face-to-face in your local branch.
Self Help Guides
NHS Grief Self Help Guide– This guide uses cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques to help cope with the experience of grief. There are also tips taken from other kinds of therapy, including interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT) and different types of grief therapy. You might recognise some of these techniques and some of them will likely be new to you.
Mind Self-Care – Coping with the loss of a loved one is always difficult, especially when it is not expected. It can take time to understand your feelings and adjust after the loss has happened, but there are things you can do help yourself cope. For example, it can help to: “If I knew then what I know now, I would have prioritised looking after my own needs.”
Samaritans self help app – Keep track of how you’re feeling and get recommendations for things you can do to help yourself cope, feel better and stay safe in a crisis. Self help app