2025 Conference
NHS Education for Scotland's sixth Bereavement Education conference "Bereavement as a Kaleidoscope: An Inclusive Approach for All." took place on Tuesday 11th November 2025.
Read more and catch up on clips, presentation slides, posters and session recordings from the event below.
Programme
The programme for the conference can be found here or on the image on the right hand side to download
Explore the conference sessions
Below you can find descriptions and short film clips from conference speakers which were recorded ahead of the event. The clips provide an overview of the sessions.
Plenary sessions
Prolonged Grief Disorder: What Is It, and How Can I Help?
Steven Millar, Clinical Associate Psychologist, North East London NHS Foundation Trust
Steven talked about 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 talked about How blending NHS clinical expertise with the flexible, person-centred ethos of Held In Our Hearts improves access and continuity in bereavement support.
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.
Silenced Trauma, Unresolved Loss: Creative Health to Bear Witness to Families of the Missing
Pascale Waschnig, Doctoral Researcher, University of West London talked about how 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.
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.
Pre-bereavement Support for Children and Families in Palliative Care
Jade Finlayson, Child and Families Lead Practitioner, St Columba’s Hospice Care session covered 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.
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.
The Bereavement Journey®
The session focused on the impact of the programme from 3 perspectives:
- 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.
- 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.
- Early learning from our HMP Prisons pilot programme in England and Scotland.
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.