Family Support and Counselling

Our Family Support and Counselling team is able to offer the following services to you and your family:

We offer face-to-face, telephone or online support. Please call us on 01606 551246 or email vrccg.familysupportandcounsellingteam@nhs.net to talk about how we can help.

Individual counselling

Bereavement Support Groups for Adults

The hospice hosts regular 4-weekly sessions (daytime and evening) exploring issues around bereavement and loss at our Robins Bereavement Café. To find out more about the support group, please click here.

When do we meet?

We hold informal drop-in support groups throughout the month to support bereaved people. These groups are held in the Hospice, with the sessions running in both the daytime and the evening.

Who can attend?

New members are always welcomed to the bereavement drop-in groups. Individuals decide themselves when they wish to join the group or how often they attend. We are able to support those who have lost a loved one through a progressive illness until the second anniversary.

What happens at the groups?

Each group is facilitated by trained counsellors and volunteers. They are run as an informal drop-in where you are able to meet others who are in a similar position, creating a sense of belonging which can help with feelings of isolation. Tea and coffee are provided at all the drop-in groups.

How to access the service

A referral form can be completed by a healthcare professional or you can contact St Luke’s Family Support and Counselling Team directly on 01606 551246 or at vrccg.familysupportandcounsellingteam@nhs.net

The group is not restricted to those who have accessed other hospice services; however, a referral form is required before attending the drop-in groups to ensure you fit within the Hospice remit.

Evening of Remembrance

In conjunction with our Spiritual Care and Chaplaincy Team we offer the opportunity to attend an evening to remember your loved one to all families who have visited our Inpatient Unit. You can access our current online offering here.

Support for Families with Children 

It can be very difficult to explain to children what is going on when a loved one becomes ill or there is a bereavement in the family. It can be hard to cope with their reactions when you are uncertain of your own, or you may feel a need to protect them from the emotional upset.

Our experienced family counselling team can help you when it comes to having difficult conversations with children and young people. We can talk with you and your children about how best we can support you as a family. We are able to offer individual or family support or counselling to those families who are affected by a progressive illness and are accessing one of our other St Luke’s services.

Phoenix Bereavement Support Group for Children

Our Phoenix Bereavement Support Group aims to support families by providing a safe and friendly environment where children and young people can feel accepted and secure.

We support young people age 6-16 who have experienced the death, through illness, of someone important to them. We aim to help them understand the feelings and experiences associated with loss and change, to look at possible coping strategies and provide practical tools to help cope and to meet other children who are in a similar situation. Trained staff facilitate the group sessions in a variety of age-appropriate activities that may vary from arts & crafts, games, storytelling, and writing. Families do not necessarily need to have had previous contact with the hospice to attend the group, only that the death was through illness. A referral form for our family support services can be completed by a healthcare professional, or parents or carers can contact St Luke’s Family Support and Counselling Team directly on 01606 551246 or by emailing vrccg.familysupportandcounsellingteam@nhs.net