2025 Conference

We are delighted to invite you to NHS Education for Scotland’s sixth Bereavement Education Conference – "Bereavement as a Kaleidoscope: An Inclusive Approach for All."

Join us for a free, one day virtual event for health and social care staff on Tuesday 11th November 2025.

Please click here to register. Registration closes on Tuesday 4th November. 

There will be a number of plenary and parallel sessions throughout the day.

We’re delighted to announce Helen Fielding as a key speaker. She is author of the ‘Bridget Jones Diary’ series, including the recent screen adaptation of ‘Mad About the Boy’ which includes a focus on the title character’s experience of bereavement. We’ll also be hearing from Professor Lucy Easthope (Centre for Death and Society, University of Bath), in her plenary ‘Come What May: Learning from a Life in Disaster.

Full programme details can be found here.

The parallel session abstract submission deadline has now passed but you can still submit a poster abstract - an opportunity to showcase bereavement work going on across Scotland and beyond.

Further information about the conference, including how to submit a poster and the relevant deadlines can be found on the NES Events website.

 

 

To be kept informed of other future events, you may also wish to sign up to NES’ quarterly bereavement update e-Newsletter.

 

Explore the conference sessions

Below you can find descriptions and short film clips from conference speakers. The clips provide an overview of the sessions.

Prolonged Grief Disorder: What Is It, and How Can I Help?

Steven Millar, Clinical Associate Psychologist, North East London NHS Foundation Trust

What is Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD)? How does it differ from complicated grief and “normal” grief? Does a diagnosis of PGD run the risk of pathologising a natural response to loss? Who is most likely to be affected by PGD, and why? What interventions are available - how do they work, what are they like, and how effective are they? As a clinician, carer, or someone working with people who may be struggling with prolonged grief, what should I be aware of?

In this session, you’ll hopefully come away with a clear understanding of what Prolonged Grief Disorder is (diagnosis, history, prevalence), insight into effective psychological interventions for PGD (theory, protocols, evidence) and practical considerations for working with people affected by PGD.

Click on the image to watch the video or here to view it on the NHS Education for Scotland Vimeo channel.

A transcript of this video can be found here.

Hospital to Home – a Collaborative Approach to Bereavement Support Following Pregnancy, Baby or Child Loss

Nicola Welsh, CEO, Held In Our Hearts and Dr Helen Reid, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Maternity and Neonatal Psychology (MNP), NHS Fife

The loss of a baby during pregnancy or shortly after birth is a deeply traumatic event with lasting impacts on parents' and families’ psychosocial wellbeing (Simmons et al., 2006). It is often linked to mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, which can lead to extended hospital stays, physical discomfort, and reduced ability to manage daily life (Bhat, 2016). Despite this, bereavement care remains an often-overlooked aspect of maternity care. The innovative opt-out Hospital to Home service delivers a stepped model of care in partnership with NHS maternity and psychological teams, ensuring everyone has access to vital emotional, psychological, and social support. This session will demonstrate how blending NHS clinical expertise with the flexible, person-centred ethos of Held In Our Hearts improves access and continuity in bereavement support. Drawing on case studies and evaluations, this session will show how this integrated model benefits bereaved parents while easing pressure on NHS services.

 

Silenced Trauma, Unresolved Loss: Creative Health to Bear Witness to Families of the Missing

Pascale Waschnig, Doctoral Researcher, University of West London

The emotional impact on families of missing people is profound yet often misunderstood or overlooked. Every year, an estimated 170,000 persons are reported missing in the United Kingdom, with long-term psychological and emotional consequences for their loved ones. Despite the high prevalence of grief and trauma, these families frequently do not seek help, owing to a lack of understanding and suitable frameworks among mental health providers. This study looks at ambiguous loss, moral injury and hermeneutical injustice using art-based and narrative methods. The aim is threefold: to amplify the voices of those affected, offer creative community-building activities for those affected and to integrate their lived experience into medical, nursing, and psychotherapy education using creative health to increase empathy, recognition, and compassion in care, emphasising the need of therapeutic frameworks that address the unique issues of unresolved loss.

 

Expanding the Language of Grief: Working with Bereaved Youth with Disabilities

Jennifer Wiles, Director, HEARTplay Program and Camp Erin Boston, Good Shepherd Community Care

This session will focus on the impact, challenges and joys that accompany our work supporting young people with disabilities who are grieving. When a young person with a disability experiences the death of someone close to them, it is important to be aware of the unique ways that this loss can affect them. The session will focus on essential concepts about disabilities and grief, including managing expectations, the role of caregivers, a neurodiverse approach to grief, and best practices in supporting young people of all abilities and their families who are grieving. Delegates will practice some accessible activities that use the expressive art therapies for neurodiverse young people who are grieving. These activities can be adapted to virtual and in-person spaces and applied to a variety of settings. The session will address issues and questions as we strive to create inclusive grief support in our practices and community.

 

Pre-bereavement Support for Children and Families in Palliative Care

Jade Finlayson, Child and Families Lead Practitioner, St Columba’s Hospice Care

We often hear that children are too young to understand or they need to be protected from difficult conversations however what is the impact of this when they grow up? This session will cover the importance of pre-bereavement support and early intervention when a child or young person has someone in their family who has been diagnosed with an incurable illness. The session will cover how to explain incurable illness to children and young people as well as ways to include them in choices and decisions. It will highlight the grief reactions that may be displayed by children and young people when they are experiencing a bereavement and how we can support children and young people at the end of someone’s life. The session will highlight how other sectors including education and healthcare can support children and young people who are anticipating the death of a loved one.

 

The Bereavement Journey®

Dr Roger Greene, Deputy CEO, AtaLoss and Dean Roberts, CEO, Parish Trust / Part Time Hospital Chaplain

AtaLoss specialises in:

  • Signposting support services and information for bereaved people across the UK.
  • Providing the innovative community support programme The Bereavement Journey®.

These services increase bereavement awareness and reduce pressure on clinical staff through early intervention and facilitated community support.

The Bereavement Journey® runs in 400 locations around the UK, including Prisons, Universities and NHS organisations.

This session will evidence the impact of the programme from 3 perspectives:

  1. The results of an independent impact evaluation showing participants consistently report remarkable improvements in mental wellbeing, reduced social isolation and improved capacity to cope well with loss.
  2. The workforce of an NHS Provider employing 16,000 staff, where the programme helps staff navigate and differentiate the complexities of personal and professional encounters with death and grief, plus the impact on HR policies and managerial practice for staff.
  3. Early learning from our HMP Prisons pilot programme in England and Scotland.