A day in the life of...

“Being a bereavement counsellor can be emotive, sorrowful and incredibly rewarding all at the same time. I feel privileged to be in a position where I can make a difference to those trying to navigate loss, while supporting them in finding their way through sadness and pain.

Grief impacts millions of people every year and, while loss is a natural part of life, not everyone easily manages this difficult life stage without additional help or professional support. The Circle bereavement service at Farleigh supports hundreds of adults every year by offering individual and group counselling, access to community support via community based activities such as Bereavement Help Points, and regular memorial and fundraising events.

I have been a part of the Circle team at Farleigh for some years. My journey started in early 2019 when I joined the department as a trainee counsellor and, since that time, has evolved into a permanent, part time role with the professional team. Prior to working at the hospice, I worked as a frontline and community paramedic for 16 years. During my time with the East of England Ambulance Service, I visited Farleigh’s Inpatient Unit many times and would marvel at the respect, work ethos, and dedication that the staff demonstrated – I felt drawn to become a regular part of this exceptional service.

As a bereavement counsellor, my role's responsibilities include providing individual and group therapy sessions, assessing client referrals, liaising with other health care professionals, inducting and training volunteers, supervising counsellors, attending weekly clinical meetings, and the onward referral of applications to other support services.

I currently work three days a week (Monday to Wednesday) with a typical day starting around 9:30am and ending at 5:30pm. I do have the autonomy to be adaptable with my working hours and will use this flexibility to facilitate evening bereavement groups.

A normal day at Farleigh involves my arrival shortly after 9am. The 30-minute journey from the welcome desk to the bereavement office then starts; I must allow this extra time because of everyone’s desire to greet and stroke my 20-month-old dog, Malone. Malone is a registered therapy dog (with Pets As Therapy UK) and accompanies me to work to offer comfort to my clients and supervisees during sessions, and also to brighten the days of the staff.

Once we have arrived at the first-floor office and completed the ‘hellos’, I will then set up Malone’s water bowl, check my emails and catch up on what has happened since my previous working day. The counselling or supervision sessions tend to start around 10am and will last from 1 hour to 2.5 hours. Malone will join me in the room for these sessions and, if I am completing trauma work with a client, will sit with the client to support them during those difficult discussions and interventions.

Our lunchtime starts between 12:30pm and 1pm. We always eat in the Courtyard Café at Farleigh as they serve a lovely selection of freshly prepared meals. So, after a short leg stretch around the grounds, Malone will join me in the café and will sit with me while I have lunch. I like to take this time to speak with the other staff who I may not get to speak with too often.

After lunch, we will return upstairs to complete the notes from the morning, catch up with the rest of the bereavement team and give the nursing and administrative staff the opportunity to spend some time with Malone. I will then complete calls, plus any pre-arranged online or telephone counselling sessions, while Malone has a well-earned nap.

After completion of any outstanding notes and responses to emails, we will start the journey of saying goodbye to everybody (again, allowing approximately 30 minutes) before Malone gets a leg-stretch and stroll around the grounds prior to the 25-minute drive home.”