We’ve recently introduced a new in-house initiative to ensure our staff team receive bereavement training. To kick off the project 10 members of staff took part in training sessions this spring to better understand how to support those dealing with loss. An in-house refresher session will run each year to ensure that our team get the opportunity to update their skills and share experiences.
Our training was delivered by Stephen Gurr who worked for many years as Pastoral Care and Chaplaincy Lead at St Barnabas Adult Hospice and Chestnut Tree Children’s Hospice. Steve is now part of the chaplaincy team at Ford Prison in 2022, and a registered member of the UK Board of Healthcare Chaplains.
Some of the topics covered guided our team in understanding how to respond to bereaved customers, the importance of providing a safe place for grieving families and maintaining good sensitivity. The training also covered self-care and how best to manage dealing with the emotions of others.
In our industry it can easily be forgotten that our staff members are discussing death on a daily basis. We hope that this training ensures our team can offer the right support to bereaved families and gives them the skills and knowledge so they can access their own wellbeing and coping mechanisms.
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