14 November 2024, 19.00 – 20.30

Online Via Zoom

We’re sorry but this group is now fully booked. We do give priority to those who have not attended a group before and we do sometimes have cancellations so if you would like to attend please email us at events@tcf.org.uk to go on the waiting list. Thank you.

 

PLEASE NOTE THESE GROUPS ARE NOT SUITABLE FOR PARENTS BEREAVED UNDER 3 MONTHS. PLEASE CONTACT THE HELPLINE FOR LISTENING SUPPORT ON 0345 123 2304 IF YOU ARE UNDER 3 MONTHS BEREAVED

When you book for this group you will be directed to a new web page which asks you to tell us about your bereavement/s. We ask you for details of your bereavement/s so we can make the group as helpful as we can for you. 

AS SPACES ARE LIMITED PLEASE NOTE WE WILL BE GIVING PRIORITY TO THOSE WHO HAVE NOT ATTENDED ONE OF OUR ONLINE SUPPORT GROUPS BEFORE

BOOK FOR THIS GROUP HERE

When you book for this group you will be directed to a new web page which asks you to tell us about your bereavement/s. We ask you for details of your bereavement/s so we can make the group as helpful as we can for you. 

We do appreciate that you may not always knowing how you might be feeling but please only book if you are planning to attend.

LOSING A TEENAGER OR YOUNGER CHILD TO SUICIDE (between the ages of 10 and 19)

ABOUT THIS GROUP

The death of a child is always shattering, but for the parents of a teenager or younger child who has taken their life, this can feel particularly hard to cope with.  Often our child may still be living at home or is in the first year or two of college or university. There will be so many unanswerable questions for surviving family and friends.

Our minds may regularly go over and over what we could have done to prevent this tragedy. We may feel a strong sense of guilt. What was wrong with our parenting that led to this ? Did we fail our child in some way? 

We may have the additional stress of coping with the media, our child’s school, college or university, the police and coroner.  Hardest of all can be the reactions of others. 

We may have surviving children to support or if our only child has taken their life then we may feel even more bereft and isolated. This online group will enable us to share how we have found ways to cope when our child who was in their teens or pre-teens has died by suicide. 

If you are newly bereaved:

Please note, our online support group meetings may not be the most appropriate form of support for very newly bereaved parents. We know how vulnerable we can be in the early weeks and months of our grief and how raw the pain and heartache can feel.

In an online support environment, we will of course do all we can to express our empathy to newly bereaved parents verbally but we won’t be able to offer the very important physical presence and contact that physical groups can offer especially when parents become very upset. Our online meetings tend to be shorter than physical meetings which also means that we won’t have as much time to hear from all group members in the ways in which we would do if we were meeting face to face.

We know that in the early days of our grief, there is a strong need to tell our ‘story’ about the loss of our precious child. We know that this is a very important part of grieving – however, our support groups, whether online or face to face can only offer the opportunity to say a little about your loss and in not too much detail so as to enable everyone to have a chance to speak and also to minimise the risk of anyone attending being re-traumatised around their own loss by hearing graphic details of someone else’s loss. It would help to know how early you are in your loss and whether you are already receiving TCF support – what we don’t wish to do is increase the vulnerability of any bereaved parent by not managing your expectations about what our support group offers and is unable to offer. We may make contact if we need to explore with you whether our online group support is the most appropriate way to support you at this stage in your loss.

If you are concerned about giving your contact details online when you book, please email us at helpline@tcf.org.uk or info@tcf.org.uk saying you want to join the group.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

This group is for anyone who is bereaved of a younger pre-teen or teenage child by suicide. For the purposes of this group we suggest that your child was aged between 10 and 19 when they took their life.

We do apologise but this online group is not suitable for anyone bereaved 3 months or less. If you are under 3 months bereaved please contact the Helpline on 0345 123 2304 for listening support.

To keep the group as helpful as possible, we limit the number of attendees. Please note we give priority to parents who have not attended an online group before.

Once you book you will receive more details and the Zoom link closer to the meeting date. Just a reminder to check your spam or junk email folders if you haven’t received the link for the online meeting by the day of the meeting. Please contact info@tcf.org.uk if you have any questions or queries.

Please can we ask that you join the group using a desktop computer, a laptop or a tablet if possible. We do apologise if you join a Zoom sharing session using a mobile phone you may not be able to see the other participants in the group.

Please note that these online events are run by bereaved parent volunteers. Our volunteers are not professionals and so what we offer is a uniquely warm, comforting and supportive online group organised and facilitated by parents who have also experienced the loss of a child and have found understanding and hope themselves through The Compassionate Friends.

Group numbers will be limited so do please book via this web page to secure your place. We can only take bookings online and if we are fully booked priority will be given to those parents who have not attended a Compassionate Friends online support group before. 

Please contact events@tcf.org.uk if you have any questions or queries.

Please note this group is for bereaved parents in the UK only – if you want to join from abroad please contact us on events@tcf.org.uk

What parents have said who attended a previous TCF group:

It was great to hear and be part of a group that definitely understands what I’m going through, although others mean well, only parents who have lost their child to suicide could possibly understand.

Please note this group is for bereaved parents in the UK only – if you want to join from abroad please contact us on events@tcf.org.uk

BOOK FOR THIS GROUP HERE

 

N.B. If you are bereaved of an older child by suicide you can book for the group on October 10 HERE