UNITED KINGDOM: “The Grief Can Damage Your Mental Health”
April 28, 2017
British charitable organizations are seeking to help the bereaved through peer support. By connecting individuals who have experienced similar types of loss, these organizations hope to counter the sense of isolation and distress that often follows the death of a loved one. For example, Way: Widowed and Young offers support groups for those who have lost a partner at a young age. Another organization, Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide, provides grief support services for those who have experienced a suicide loss, and who may be at risk for suicide and mental health issues themselves. When former cathedral minister Yvonne Tulloch struggled with suicidal thoughts after the death of her husband, she founded the website AtaLoss.org to help others like her find resources in the community. “We are providing a one-stop shop website to help [connect] the bereaved to support,” she said. “If you find somebody who’s been through what you’re going through, and has come out the other side, it gives you hope.”
Spark Extra! Visit AtaLoss.org to learn more.