Training and talks for organisations
Supporting grief and bereavement
Creating confident, compassionate responses to loss in professional settings
What is Supporting grief and bereavement?
Grief and bereavement are part of everyday life, yet many professionals feel unsure what to say or do when someone they are supporting experiences a loss.
Whether working with customers, families, or young people, these moments can feel high-stakes. The way someone is responded to can either ease the experience or add to the distress.
This training offers a practical and thoughtful introduction to supporting people through grief. It brings together contemporary understanding of bereavement with clear, useable communication skills, helping you respond with confidence, empathy and care.
The course can be adapted for different contexts, including customer-facing roles, health and social care, education, and those supporting children and young people with complex experiences of loss.
What you’ll learn
understand the role of empathy and co-regulation in supporting others
By the end of the training, you will:
develop a clear understanding of contemporary models of grief
understand the needs and experiences of people who are newly bereaved
gain confidence in using appropriate, clear and compassionate language
recognise how your own responses to grief can affect your work
understand how grief affects behaviour, communication and capacity
learn strategies to support your own wellbeing when working with bereavement
Participants will leave with practical tools and approaches that can be applied immediately in real-life situations.
“Superb content and trainer. Refreshingly honest, the authenticity of Jo’s message, delivered with a spirit and commitment congruent with her obvious belief in the importance of the learning, was very clear.”
- training recipient
Who it’s for
This training is for professionals who may encounter bereavement as part of their work. It is particularly relevant for those who feel unsure what to say when someone is grieving, and want to communicate with more confidence and empathy.
In your work you might support people through complex or layered experiences of loss, and want to balance care for others with your own emotional wellbeing.
That might include:
foster carers, adoptive parents and social workers
managers and team leaders
educators and those working with children and young people
health, community and voluntary sector practitioners
How it’s delivered
This training is practical, reflective and grounded in real-life situations.
It combines short, accessible teaching on grief, trauma and communication with opportunities for discussion, reflection and skills practice. Participants are encouraged to bring their own experiences and contexts into the learning.
The training includes exploration of real scenarios, language and communication approaches, and space to consider how learning can be applied in different roles and settings.
Sessions are delivered in a supportive and engaging style, creating an environment where participants can build confidence and develop their skills.
The course can be delivered as a one-day training or adapted into shorter or extended formats depending on need.
“Jo was brilliant and made everyone so welcome. I felt she had so much empathy as well as a fun, calm and gentle tone. I shall attempt to put her strategies in place and use not only for ourselves but the children we support . And also pass on some of the strategies from the training to family and friends.”
- training recipient
About your trainer
I am Jo McAndrews, a specialist trainer and facilitator with over 30 years’ experience working across education, social care and community settings. Originally trained as an integrative arts psychotherapist specialising in children and young people, my work is grounded in a deep understanding of grief, trauma and human emotional experience.
For the past two decades, I have been commissioned by health services, local authorities and organisations to support staff working in complex and emotionally demanding roles. I specialise in helping people develop the confidence and skills to respond to grief and distress with clarity, empathy and care.
Through my approach, I translate psychological theory into practical, accessible tools that can be used in everyday professional situations. My training is warm, thoughtful and highly practical, supporting participants to feel more confident in conversations that can often feel difficult to navigate.
Costs
My fees for training include preparation discussions and bespoke design, digital presentation handouts and post event debrief. Travel costs and overnight accommodation where needed will be added to this.
Please click the link below to learn more about costs for teams and organisations.
Let’s discuss your training needs
If you would like a chat about this course, or to discuss how I can meet your team or organisation’s needs, please use this form to get in touch