Counselling and Bereavement

Overgate Hospice offers a Counselling Service to patients, their relatives, friends and carers.  It is a free and confidential service.

Our Counsellors aim to provide support to those who are experiencing the emotions and difficulties associated with having a life-limiting illness, or caring for someone who has one, by providing a safe, quiet place to talk freely.  Counselling can help to find ways of saying things that have been difficult to say to people who are close.  It can help to make sense of feelings and given encouragement to untangle confusions and uncertainties.  The service is entirely confidential and can help to maintain a sense of “being in control”.

Overgate’s Counselling Team is led by the Counselling Co-ordinator, and the Team is made up of Volunteer Counsellors who are either qualified Counsellors or Counselling Students in their final year of study.  Counsellors are trained to listen carefully and provide emotional support.  They will not give advice but will provide a “listening ear” and support to help explore ways of coping which suit the individual.  All Overgate’s Counsellors abide by the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework for Good Practice.

We recognise that children in a family will be affected when someone close to them is seriously ill.  Counselling is available to teenagers and we can offer information and resources to assist younger children through this difficult time.

Bereavement Counselling is available to relatives, friends and carers of patients who have died at Overgate Hospice or elsewhere.  Our service operates a flexible ‘open door’ policy so that people can contact us at any point following the death of a relative or friend.

The death of someone close is a traumatic event in life, and although we are used to experiencing losses through our lifetime, often we are not prepared to the death of a loved one.  The pain and suffering of grief is a part of bereavement and Counselling can help through this difficult time.

Every person’s needs will differ.  There is no set ‘time limit’ for grieving.  For some people it will be sufficient to have telephone contact.  Others may wish to meet the Counsellor once, whilst some may prefer a longer period of contact to work through their loss.

In addition, at Overgate we are able to offer people the opportunity to attend our monthly Bereavement Support Group.  This runs in the evening and is another way in which support can be given without having one-to-one Counselling.

 Click here to download our bereavement resource pack.

For further information on any aspect of the Counselling Service at Overgate Hospice, please contact:

The Counselling Co-ordinator  -  01422 387111