One of a series of leaflets published by The Compassionate Friends Including other people “I’ve learned to be comfortable with the fact that he spends time each month with other people at a support group. I went once but didn’t find it helpful, but he obviously does and values the conversations.” No matter how well we are managing to cope with our grief together, it can still be useful to include other people. This may include family and friends, but it is not limited to them. To talk through our feelings, many of us find support group meetings helpful. The Compassionate Friends (TCF) organises local groups and larger gatherings, both in person and virtually. Attending a meeting or joining an online bereavement group can give us the opportunity to speak freely about our child in the company of others who are also bereaved. We can also benefit from other people’s experiences. However, here again there may be differences. One of us might be keen to attend a meeting whilst the other really does not wish to take part. If this is the case, we can try to respect the fact that our partner has different needs in their grief. There should be no feeling of obligation to both attend a group. One of us can go alone, if that is what we wish. Getting support The death of a child is widely recognised as one of the most difficult bereavements to cope with. It is therefore not surprising that some parents do need support from professionals such as bereavement counsellors.
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