
Helping Professionals to Support Bereaved People
AtaLoss is committed to helping professionals to support people who have been bereaved. Funeral directors, health care professionals and clergy repeatedly tell us they would like to know how to better support people when someone has died.
Our unique bereavement signposting website - this website, www.ataloss.org – aims to provide the full range of support services and information, to provide holistic support for wellbeing and add value to anyone’s work. See our gold standard for signposting here.
You can direct to AtaLoss.org for free by using our logo. Please describe us as 'AtaLoss.org, the signposting hub for finding UK wide bereavement support services, helplines and information.'
We also offer training for professionals in various forms, including for schools and youth groups in supporting young people with loss. See our training here.
Below are useful articles and information to help you as you support bereaved people.
If you have information you can offer for our website, please Contact us.

This video explains the dying process very gently so that we understand it better and can have conversations with friends and family about it.
Trauma refers to the way that some distressing events are so extreme or shocking that they overwhelm a person’s ability to cope, resulting in lasting negative impact.
There is a lot of good intention around when it comes to bereavement support in terms of providing it but not a great deal of understanding of all the options available and the benefits of informal support.
Understanding and Supporting Bereavement
Children and Young People
Losing a baby is one of the most devastating experiences a person can go through. This article covers how to understand the impact of baby loss and how to help those who have gone through it.
A useful film and book to help any young person understand funerals (burial and cremation) and decide whether to attend and what role they can play in saying goodbye to a loved one.
Children return to school after summer break and if they are recently bereaved it can be even more emotional for them. This our guide on supporting them during that time.
The death of a child, of any age, brings heartbreak and devastation. This article was written by Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds who set up the Good Grief Project following the death of their son, Josh.
In traumatic bereavement, children and young people experience very strong emotions because of the meaning they make of the death.
Different Circumstances
There is not a great deal of research on how people with autism deal with bereavement. However there is useful advice available that can help us support anyone with autism, whatever their age.
Although losing a loved one is perhaps more common in later life, this doesn’t make it any easier to deal with. If someone you know has been bereaved, there are some simple things you can do to support them.
This briefing is produced by Brake, the road safety charity. It aims to raise awareness of how people with learning disabilities experience grief, and provides advice on how to support them.
As the new university year begins, supporting young adults as they navigate being away from home can be challenging. Here our Founder, Yvonne Tulloch provides quick tips on how to do so.