For young people
This is a page to help you. Sometimes it can feel like you’re in this alone, but we’re here to prove that you’re not. Watch this short video, so you know what you can expect.
We want this to be a safe, lighthearted place where you can try and wrap your head around grief, in your own time at your own pace. Here you can watch videos, read blogs and listen to music from our selected playlists.
We have links that will take you to other helpful websites, whether you need a helpline or something to take your mind off things
People like you
My Story
I was 15 years old when my dad died. He had a rare blood cancer and had been going through a stem cell transplant when he caught an infection.
Although he’d had cancer for a long time the infection meant he died in a matter of days. We’d never discussed what might happened if he didn’t survive, and I never had a chance to say goodbye.
My mum, younger brother and I have had to learn how to live life as a family of three, and how to be happy again.
How Childline can help you
Childline is there to help anyone under 19 in the UK with any issue they’re going through. Whether it’s something big or small, there are trained counsellors ready to support you.
Childline is free, confidential and available any time, day or night. You can talk;
- by calling 0800 1111
- by email
- through 1-2-1 counsellor chat
If you are worried about anything and just need to talk to someone, they are on the end of the phone, just give them a call. Anytime night or day
I started writing a blog because death can be incredibly hard to make sense of, writing it down helped me to process my grief and I hope it helps you too
Do you need to speak to someone now?
24 HOUR SUPPORT LINES
Samaritans | 116 123 (UK) | For anyone at anytime for any reason |
Childline | 0800 1111 | Support for under 25yrs and their relatives |
Silverline | 0800 470 8090 | Support for the over 50's |
DAY/EVENING SUPPORT LINES
Cruse | 0808 808 1677 | Nationwide bereavement support |
Child Bereavement UK | 0800 02 88840 | Helpline (9 - 5pm) |
Child Death Helpline | 0800 282 986
0808 800 6019 |
Every evening 7-10pm
Mon/Thurs/Fri - 10am - 1pm Tues/Wed - 10am - 4pm |
Bereavement Advice Centre | 0800 634 9494 | Practical advice (9 - 5pm) |
Bereavement Trust | 0800 435 455 | Emotional and practical advice (6 - 10pm) |
Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide | 0300 111 5065 | 9am-9pm every day |
Breathing space Scotland Helpline for when it becomes difficult to cope | 0800 838587 |
Monday to Thursday - 6pm - 2am Friday 6pm - 6am |
Helpful links
Childline | A great resource, including help lines you can call |
Hope Again | Bereavement counselling for people under 18 |
The Mix | Support for under 25's |
Childhood Bereavement Network | Advice for bereaved children and for those supporting them |
Care for the family | Support for families in difficulty |
Rip Rap | Help for children when a parent has cancer |
Well at school | Advice for schools supporting a bereaved student |
Young Minds | A mental health charity supporting young people |
Winston's Wish | Specialist support and advice for bereaved children and their families |
Talk to Us Off the Record | Face to face counselling - South London |
Teenage Lost Ones | A new Facebook group which focuses on young adults who have lost a parent at a young age. |
People like you
Alex's Story
Alexander's story and advice. His dad was diagnosed with skin cancer and died 2 months later. Here he talks about how his dad's death made him feel and what has helped him through the years.
Maybe you feel the same?
How going back to school really helped me
Though scary, going back to school was really beneficial. Unlike home, nothing had changed and it was a place where I could continue my life as a “normal” teenager. It helped re-kick start my life when it had come to a stop.'
'It’s taking the first step that’s hard, but in reality you’ve done the hardest bit already.’
Top movies that deal with loss
the lion king
Bambi
Finding Nemo
Helpful links
Child Bereavement UK - This website is fab, it’s easy to follow, easy to understand and just a much nicer website to visit as it has lots of bright colours and pictures. There's an app you can download
Grief Encounter - Scroll right to the bottom of that page, it has a great section labelled ‘resources’. It has music suggestions, books, advice and talk lines. This sites a bit more light hearted and positive, the playlist is based on ‘Good grief days’.
Podcast - 'Go 4 It' - an interview with children's author Michael Rosen and others who have lost someone close
Josh's friends talk about how they miss him - visit www.thegoodgriefproject.co.uk for more on Josh's story
Joe and Rosa talk about how losing their brother has affected them www.thegoodgriefproject.co.uk
Helpful links
- The Childhood Bereavement Network - The child bereavement website is good if you don’t understand death, if you’re struggling to wrap your head around what happened, which is understandable, this is a good place to start. There’s a really useful section under ‘For young People’, if you scroll down there’s helpful advice from people who are a similar age and know what it’s like.
- Hope Again - This website is frank and tackles the issues surrounding death head on. It has articles on: talking to others, talking/writing to the loved one, self harm and suicide, remembering and moving on. All these articles are under ‘When someone dies’. It also has lots of videos and written articles about other people your age in the same situation. I get the impression this is run by the young for the young, it feels familiar and safe.
- Help 2 Make Sense - Help 2 make sense, is an attachment of Wistons Wish, it contains a video, a chatline, services near you and a podcast. The video’s very frank, it’s from the perspective of a youngster, I feel it’s an accurate representation of what you may be feeling, especially close after the death. This website it specifically to try and help you make sense of what’s going on. (16+)
- Everything's Changing - A workbook designed for 13-25 year olds to help explore and document feelings around grief.
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Love Will Never Die: Helping children through bereavement
Clare Shaw- Using direct but child-friendly language, it addresses the mixed emotions felt by a child during times of bereavement and offers support and understanding.
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Death, I Miss You (A First Look At)
Pat Thomas- This reassuring picture book explores the difficult issue of death for young children. Children’s feelings and questions about this sensitive subject are looked at in a simple but realistic way.
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Badger’s Parting Gift
Susan Varley- Badger is old and knows he will soon die. He tries to prepare his friends and family by giving them lots of wise words, which also helps them deal with their grief when he does die
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Are You Sad Little Bear?
Rachel Rivett- a beautifully written little book to help explain the death of a grandparent to young children
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Always and Forever
Alan Durant-a book written to explain death to young children delicately and sensitively
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The Last Act of Love: The Story of My Brother and His Sister
Cathy Rentzenbrink-. Told after her brother died, aged 16. It’s a story for anyone who has ever watched someone suffer or lost someone they loved or lived through a painful time that left them forever changed. Told with boundless warmth and affection (Amazon)
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Beyond Tomorrow- The essential Guide to life after bereavement
Judy Carole Kaufmann-The period following the death of a loved one can be a time of great turmoil. This sensitive book acts as a helpful and supportive road map through the initial period of loss, and through the weeks and months that follow.
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A Beastly Burden
Merel Barends-When I was a teenager, my younger brother took his own life. I never saw it coming.
Twenty years too late, I am figuring out how I could have helped him. -
An Empty Chair: Living in the wake of a sibling’s suicide
Sara Swan Miller- too often, the grief and bewilderment of surviving siblings is simply ignored, leaving the bereaved siblings feeling even more abandoned. The accounts of siblings’ experiences in this book are based on interviews with more than thirty people from all over the United States, as well as the author’s own experience of losing a sister to suicide.
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History of a Suicide: my sister’s unfinished life
Jill Bialosky-The author presents an account of her sister’s suicide, and the lifelong impact that the suicide has had on her own life and the lives of the other members of her family.
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Waterbugs and Butterflies: explaining death to young children
Doris Stickney- this book will help you find the right words…a caring thought…a comforting reflection to communicate compassion in extraordinary ways.
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Grief is a Thing with Feathers
Max Porter-two young boys face the unbearable sadness of their mother’s sudden death. In this moment of despair they are visited by Crow – antagonist, trickster, healer, babysitter. This sentimental bird is drawn to the grieving family and threatens to stay until they no longer need him
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Facing Grief: Bereavement at ages 18-28: Bereavement and the Young Adult
Susan Wallbank-This frank, sensible and compassionate book examines in detail the particular needs and experiences of young adults, many of whom will be taking on fresh responsibilities
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Drift
Jenny Alexander-since her brother killed himself, Jess has stopped talking…a moving account of the grief following the death of a sibling
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Muddy Puddles and Sunshine
Diana Crossley-practical and sensitive support for bereaved younger children