Ten footballers have sought help from the Sporting Chance Clinic to help them come to terms with the death of former Welsh manager Gary Speed.

The Sporting Chance Clinic was established in 2000 in a bid to provide a support network to sporting figures with problems including gambling and drinking.

The organisations chief executive Peter Kay has said that since the Gary Speed tragedy, an unusually high number of players had turned to the organisation for counselling to help them through their grief.

Chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association, Gordon Taylor, recently urged any players who were struggling to come to terms with the death to seek help – advice that obviously had an impact.

Speaking about the increase, Kay said: “I’m hesitant to even link that tragedy with anything good. I think it’s almost inappropriate that anything good can come out of such an awful occurrence. But over 10 players have contacted me since that news broke. That means 10 people are seeking help. That is an unusual amount. If that can be deemed something worthwhile coming out from such a tragedy then so be it. But I’m loathe to think of anything positive from that tragedy.”

If you are struggling to come to terms with the loss of a loved one then talking to a qualified professional in confidence may help you to understand and acknowledge the feelings you are having in response to the loss so that you are eventually able to move forward.

For information about bereavement counselling and how it may be able to help you, please visit our fact-sheet for further information.

View and comment on the original Telegraph article.

Despite the doctors’ best efforts to save his life, it soon became apparent that the child’s chances of survival were slim.

It was at this stage that his parents, Mr and Mrs Giovannini, were forced to consider the idea of organ donation.

Luca’s father Renzo, a financial adviser from Stockport, knew that he wanted other ill children to be able to live full and happy lives like his son did in the short time he had.

He and his wife immediately informed hospital staff that they would like to donate Luca’s organs.

At 7am the next morning, Luca tragically passed away.

The child’s organs were given to a 35-year-old mother of two, a 34-year-old man, a two-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl.

“One week we were thinking about buying Luca his Christmas present and the next we were looking for a grave for him,” said Renzo.

In these times of economic and political upheaval, it is so important to remind ourselves of our humanity, and our duty to one another. It was with pure love and compassion that the Giovanninis made the decision that no parent should ever have to make.

The two-year old girl who received Luca’s donated organ is now expected to be well and home by Christmas.

Counsellors are here to help you deal with loss and grief. If you would like to find out more about how a counsellor could help you, please visit our Bereavement page.

View and comment on the original Telegraph article. 

A Buckinghamshire based charity that was facing closure following cuts to council spending has been saved by a supermarket giant after they said they would help to raise the funds to save it from the axe.

The Milton Keynes Bereavement Service was due to close in 2012 after it had its £7,000 funding cut. However, it has been named charity of the year 2011 by the towns Sainsbury’s branch, who announced they would hold events to raise money to keep the service running for an extra 12 months.

Sainsbury’s customers were invited to vote for their favourite local good cause following in-store presentations, which resulted in the charity being named the winner from a shortlist of three.

The Milton Keynes Bereavement Service, which has supported the local community since 1979, has to apply for a grant annually from Milton Keynes Council, which covers around 75 per cent of its funding. It is run by volunteer counsellors with some paid secretarial help each week. The charity also relies on one-off grants, fees for training and donations to keep it running.

One local mother, Odette Mould, who lost her five-year-old son Harry in 2009 and benefited from the counselling service, said she was ‘really pleased that the service will continue and continue to help other families’.

After Ms Mould initially looked for support for Harry’s twin sister Jessica, the charity was able to give the family invaluable support.

Ms Mould said, “Milton Keynes Bereavement Service put a counsellor in touch with us who came round to see Jessica to discuss things with her and it made me feel more secure that there was someone there for Jessica to talk to. I do believe it helped her to have someone to talk to straight away, even if she doesn’t remember it now.”

View the original BBC News article here.

The study of 13,000 women tracked the progress of around 14,000 children born in the 1990s and their parents. The results of the study showed that women who had previously lost a baby in the past, seemed to experience higher levels of anxiety and depression even after they had gone on to have a healthy baby.

The researchers found that though losing an unborn baby is common and most women will go on to conceive again, the loss of a baby increases depression and anxiety throughout the next pregnancy and for up to three years after giving birth to a healthy baby.

Jean Golding, founder of the Avon project (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children) said: “This study is important to the families of women who have lost a baby, since it is so often assumed that they get over the event quickly, yet as shown here, many do not. If we offer targeted support during pregnancy to women who have previously lost a baby, we may be able to improve health outcomes for both the women and their children.”

If you are struggling to come to terms with the loss of a child then you may find that talking to a counsellor specialising in bereavement will help you to cope with and understand your grief. If you would like to find out more then please visit our fact-sheet on bereavement counselling or use the search tool located on the homepage to locate a qualified counsellor in your local area.

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The plot, which is to air around New Year’s Day, see’s Ronnie, played by Samantha Womak wrap up the body of her baby and run over to the Queen Vic to seek help. When there she hears Kat Slater’s baby crying upstairs and in her grief she switches the children.

According to a source from the Elstree Studios set in Hertfordshire, filming had to be stopped as both the cast and the crew were overcome with emotion.

A source said: “Most of the crew have never shot anything quite so sensitive. Filming stopped for over an hour as people found it hard to continue without breaking down. It will certainly be very strong viewing.”

The plot has come under fire from many who consider it to be insensitive and inappropriate viewing. However, the writer’s hope to tackle the issue with the utmost sensitivity and will no doubt help to increase the level of awareness and support.

If your family are struggling to come to terms with a loss and would like some information about bereavement then please visit our online fact-sheet here. Alternatively if you would like to contact a counsellor specialising in this particular area then you can do so by visiting our homepage and using the search tool to locate a professional in your area. For help using the site please click here.

Original article

Australian experts asked people whose relatives had died in hospital two weeks earlier to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours a day in a bid to find out the effects of bereavement on the body.

They found that the average heart rate of the bereaved was 75 beats per minute, compared to a 70.7 average in unaffected volunteers.

This heightened heart rate was also accompanied by double the normal amount of periods of tachycardia (periods where the heartbeat accelerated to higher than normal levels).

Though this alone is not a direct cause of any serious heart problems it is an indicator of stress and anxiety and lead researcher Dr Thomas Buckley is of the belief it may be enough to cause an attack in someone with existing heart disease.

The study also found that six months after the initial bereavement, heart rates had returned to normal.

Dr Richard Stein, from New York University School of Medicine has said this study is an important step in understanding bereavement.

However, Psychiatrist Dr Colin Murray Parkes, an advisor to bereavement charity CRUSE has said it is important that bereaved individuals do not panic if they do feel an increase in their heart rate.

“An increased heart rate can be a perfectly normal response to the anxiety of being bereaved. If you are worried, then consult your doctor, but not with the assumption that anything is wrong.” He said.

For information about bereavement please visit our fact-sheet and to contact a counsellor specialising in this area please use the search tool located on our homepage.

Original article

Stillbirth charity Sands recently conducted a survey looking into the care of bereaved parents involving 80 labour units around the U.K.

52% of the units which responded did not have a midwife who specialised in bereavement care and 45% of wards did not have a dedicated room in which other mothers and their newborns could not be heard by mothers who had just lost their children.

Though there are no national standards in place for the care of bereaved parents the general consensus is that there should be dedicated services and facilities to accommodate parents who have just lost a child.

The midwives’ body have agreed that more needs to be done to improve the care given to bereaved parents and Public health Minister Anne Milton is of the same opinion. “While Sands has found that care provided to bereaved parents has improved over the last 20 years, there is still more to do.”

“We want to see high quality maternity services everywhere with the right facilities, networks and trained staff to support parents and families when a baby dies,” she said.

“This is why it is so important that services are developed and commissioned to meet the needs of parents who experience stillbirth or neonatal loss.

If you are suffering after the loss of a child and would like to talk to a professional counsellor then please visit the homepage of this site where you can contact a professional in your area. For more information about how counselling can help bereavement please click here.

View the original article here

Last month 9%, which was the highest amount of searches, were conducted on bereavement. This month has seen quite a change with less people searching for bereavement and more people seeking help for relationship issues. The top five keyword searches are as follows:

Relationship issues 5%
Bereavement 4.8%
Anger Management 4.6%
Couples Counselling 4.6%
Depression 4.1%

Dementia is a debilitating illness which will dramatically change the person you once knew. Even though they are still there physically, a person caring from someone with dementia may still experience feelings of grief and loss for a number of reasons. If this person is a spouse the grieving may be for the future they could have had, the relationship they shared and the support and understanding from them that was taken for granted. It is also natural for a person to grieve for the lifestyle and freedom they once had as well as for financial stability which may now change.

Holding someones hand through dementia is a wildly ever-changing experience, initial feelings of hope and optimism for a cure may soon turn in to frustration and despair and could even lead to a suppression of feelings. It’s likely that after these up’s and downs it will become slightly easier to cope with the situation and make the best of things. However, dementia is an illness which progresses over time and it may be that just as a carer is coming to terms with a person’s behaviour, it could alter and decline even further.

Resentment is a common part of the process as you may feel that restrictions have been placed on your own life and things have not turned out as you pictured. If you are feeling like this then it is important to recognise that you are under a great deal of stress and may need to seek emotional support for yourself.

When a person with dementia dies, some people may find that because they have grieved so much over the course of the illness they feel numb when the person dies and they have no strong feelings left. Others may feel relief, others shock and some may feel guilt, anger or resentment. Whatever the feelings it will take a long time to come to terms with a persons death and those who have acted as carers may feel like they now have no purpose.

It may be that you need a helping hand getting back on your feet and talking to a counsellor could help you to do this. A counsellor can help you to re-establish your own life and move forward with positive memories of the past. As well as seeking help from a professional always remember that you can get plenty of support from friends and family.

To read the original article from the Alzheimer’s Society please click here and details of Alzheimer’s Society services in your area can be found here.

If you would like to contact a counsellor specialising in bereavement you can do so by using the search tool on the homepage of this site.

One particular way we do this is by taking a look at our keyword searches. By looking at the most popular search terms the team at Counselling Directory and our registered counsellor’s are able to see which areas of counselling are most in demand. This then means we can tailor the website content to make sure the right information is readily available and easily accessible to our visitors.

Listed below are April’s five most searched for terms.

These figures provide important information about what we should be including in this section (News) and its also a great help to our counsellors who want to make sure they have the most helpful information on their profiles.

Later this week we will be taking an in depth look at Bereavement and how counselling can be of help. Until then, additional information can be found in both the Types of Distress and News areas of the site and if you would like to contact a counsellor specialising in this area then simply type your postcode into the search box which appears on the homepage and then select bereavement from the types of distress drop down box to refine your search.