Anticipated Loss / Pre-Bereavement Care

Bereavement Support

Anticipated Loss

The feelings of grief can often begin at the time of a terminal diagnosis. This can affect the terminally ill person, family members, close friends, and colleagues.

The G. Seller Bereavement Support team are here to provide a confidential, supportive space to process your thoughts and feelings when you may not feel comfortable talking to others that are affected by the diagnosis.

Rather than grieving the loss of a person, anticipated loss could be understood as grieving the loss of experiences, possibilities or an imagined future together with that person.

When facing a significant loss, it is natural to feel a lot of strong emotions. There is no right or wrong way to grieve; how you grieve might be different from how others around you grieve.

Anticipated grief is not as widely understood or discussed as grief after death. This means that people struggling with anticipatory grief may feel guilty of these feelings and might not seek support to help them cope. The G. Seller Bereavement Support team are here to support you or your loved one’s.

To access support, please give us a call or send a message using the form below.

There is no charge for your initial assessment. Subsequent appointments are charged at £50.00 per session.

Losing A Loved One Is A Very Emotional Experience.

If you or a member of your family are struggling with your emotions before or after the death of a loved one, please know you do not have to go through this alone. Bereavement groups and 1 to 1 support are available, we shall meet you in person and discuss what the right choice is for you.

Dear Alison, Thank you for all your advice, caring and understanding over the last 15 months, you have helped me so much, what an investment you are to G Seller's. You are a very kind person.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you get the news that someone you care about is terminally ill, you can start to experience grief feeling before the loss happens. Most people think of grief as something that happens after a loved one has passed away. But grieving can also occur before death. This experience is known as anticipatory grief. It can occurs in anticipation of a death or other type of loss — such as the loss of abilities or independence. Anticipatory grief can be experienced by loved ones, as well as the person who is ill or dying.

Anticipated loss counselling is open to the terminally ill person themselves and to any family member or friend who is affected by the diagnosis.

If you choose to have 1 to1 counselling, it will be just you who attends the sessions. We also offer couples counselling. The individuals involved in couples counselling are agreed before the counselling begins and any other family member or friend will need to attend their own assessment appointment to access counselling support separately.

Bereavement counselling is mostly focused on supporting a client through their grieving process whereas anticipated loss counselling can be more about working through the anxiety of the potential loss and improving communication between couples and families to enable them to support each other.

If you feel that the impending loss is affecting your ability to cope in day to day life or if you are the terminally ill person and are struggling to work through your diagnosis, accessing counselling support can provide you with a safe space to process your situation, make plans and develop effective communicate with your family.

Your first appointment is called an initial assessment and is designed to discuss your counselling needs and agree on the best way that your counsellor can support you. This appointment is free to attend and there is no obligation to take up further counselling if you do not wish to. Ongoing 1 to 1 counselling sessions are charged at £50 per appointment. Couples counselling is charged at £65 per session.

During your assessment appointment your counsellor will discuss frequency of sessions with you. Many clients s attend fortnightly as this allows for processing time and diary management as the care of a terminally ill person can often involve a great number of medical appointments. However, this is an individual experience, and it is your choice whether you attend weekly or fortnightly.

Our counsellors provide a safe environment in which to explore your anticipated loss feelings and are highly trained in grief and loss counselling. With anticipated loss therapy you are free to discuss whatever you wish that is affected by your impending loss, from everyday events, dilemmas, communication issues, feelings, and thoughts, to regrets, memories, and dreams.

If your loved one passes away whilst you are having counselling your counsellor will continue to offer support though the initial stages of your loss, should you wish them to. The focus of the counselling may change over time and your counsellor will discuss with you your counselling needs to ensure that you are supported in the most appropriate way.

Other Support Services

Grieving can feel very lonely at times and we are here to help and guide you every step of the way. We have a range of services to support you through this difficult time.

Call 01455 637457

Our Bereavement Support Team

Alison Wormleighton

Bereavement Support

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Tracy Orton

Bereavement Support

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Enquiry Form

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