Grief support for young people
If you’re 25 or under and grieving after the death of someone important to you, we’re here to help.
How can Winston’s Wish help grieving young people?
When someone dies, it can be hard to know what to think, feel or do next. Whether it’s a parent, sibling, friend or someone you admired from afar, suddenly not having them in your life can feel scary and upsetting.
We’re here to let you know that whatever it is you’re feeling (or not feeling), it’s valid and it’s ok. There’s no right or wrong way to grieve. And there’s no set formula to ‘get over’ it. Instead, we can learn to live with our grief and build a life around our loss.
At Winston’s Wish, we provide lots of online support that can help you to make sense of your grief, express your feelings and find healthy ways to cope.
You can find advice and stories from other grieving young people over on Talk Grief – a dedicated online space for teenagers and young adults (13 to 25). Visit talkgrief.org.
If you’d like to speak to someone about you grief you can reach out using our live chat, help and support line, by email or over text. You don’t need to join a waiting list and you can speak to a bereavement professional right away.
If you feel you need additional support, we also offer one-to-one sessions with bereavement support workers and counsellors. Anyone aged 13 or over can enquire about additional support. If you’re 12 or under, please speak with a trusted adult (parent, guardian, teacher etc) and let them know you’re interested in seeking additional support from Winston’s Wish. You can find out more here.
We have information available in languages other than English and if you click the circle icon at the bottom left of your screen you can use our accessibility toolbar to change the language, font, colours, and size of the website.
Information about grief and bereavement
We produce a range of content, including videos, blogs, books, talks and workshops all designed to help you learn and understand more about grief.
This includes professional advice, tips and guidance from our Bereavement Support team, as well as real life stories, accounts and encouragement from other grieving young people just like you.
We also regularly host live online ‘Growing with Grief’ talks where you can learn about the common themes of grief and ask any questions.
Ultimately, the more we know and learn about grief itself, the better we can understand how and why we feel the way we do.
Talk Grief
Talk Grief is a dedicated online space for grieving teenagers and young adults (ages 13 to 25). Here you’ll be able to talk to bereavement professionals, hear from other young grieving people, and share how you grieve: the good, the bad and the ugly.
Live grief talks
Our monthly online ‘Growing with Grief’ talks for 16 to 25 year olds can help you learn more about grief, how it impacts you and some coping strategies.
Activities
Download our free activities to help you explore and express your feelings and emotions and discover ways to remember the person who has died.
Our social media channels are full of videos about grief, including advice and information from our bereavement support team and real life stories and tips from grieving young people. Follow us on TikTok, Instagram or YouTube to watch them.
Talk with a bereavement support worker
On the days when it all feels really heavy, or when you’d rather speak to a total stranger than a family member or friend, you can reach out to our bereavement team.
There’s no waiting list or appointments, you can speak with someone right away. You can even chat anonymously. It’s your chance to share whatever it is you are feeling. In return, we promise to listen, not judge and if needed we can offer some advice and guidance on what you could do next. You can reach out to us as little or as often as you want.
If you need to speak to us in a language other than English, we can use interpreters over the phone, and we can use the Relay UK app if you have hearing or speech difficulties.
Live chat
Chat online between 8am and 8pm, weekdays by clicking the blue ‘Chat with us’ button at the bottom right of your screen.
Email us on ask@winstonswish.org or fill out our contact form and we’ll reply within two working days.
Call
Call us for free on 08088 020 021 between 8am-8pm, weekdays.
Text
If it’s urgent, text WW to 85258 to speak with someone from our trusted partner, Shout.
Additional support
If you need additional support, you can enquire about one-to-one and group sessions with a bereavement support worker or bereavement counsellor. Sessions are usually delivered at a set time, over a period of up to 8 weeks.
Not everyone will need additional bereavement support or counselling. However, if you feel you are really struggling or have experienced severe, traumatic and/or multiple bereavements, or if you have complex personal circumstances, we encourage you to submit an enquiry. Someone from our team will then assess your individual circumstances and make a recommendation about the level of support you need.
Due to high demand, there is currently a waiting list for additional support. In the meantime, you can still get great support by reaching out to our bereavement support workers over live chat, email, phone or text.
You will need to be aged 13 or over to submit an additional support enquiry. If you are aged 12 or under, please ask a trusted adult to support you with your enquiry.
You might also be interested in
Publications and resources
Specialist books written by Winston’s Wish, memory boxes to store treasured items and free activities to download.
Grief in Common podcast
Listen to young people from different backgrounds and experiences have honest conversations about their grief and their feelings in our podcast.
Support us
Winston’s Wish is a charity and relies on donations to help us do what we do. Find out all the ways you can get involved and support us.
Connect with us
Sign up to our newsletter and follow us on social media for all our latest news and advice on supporting grieving children and young people.