Online Support Group for Parents Bereaved by Suicide

30 January 2025, 19.00 – 20.30

Online via Zoom

We’re sorry but this online support 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.

 

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

ABOUT THIS GROUP

The death of a child is always shattering, but suicide is a particularly cruel form of death for the surviving family and friends. We are often left with the seemingly unanswerable question, Why?

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 despair? How have we failed our children in their upbringing? They were our loved children.

For us families of children who have died from suicide, we might have the additional stress of coping with the police, post-mortem, inquest, media and reactions of others.

What parents have said who attended a previous group:

It was good to spend time with others experiencing similar reactions and emotions, and to feel reassured by those who have been bereaved longer that things do get a little easier with time.

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.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

This group is for anyone who is bereaved of a child by suicide. 

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.

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. 

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

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. 

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.

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.

PLEASE BOOK HERE