Grief Information for Teachers & Services

Deb, well, what can I say? You’re just fab! The course and it’s contents are incredible! I’m so grateful that I attended the Helping Children With Loss course. Your knowledge and experience are outstanding and the whole course has really helped me understand so much more about how the grief and loss events that impact children, and how our responses to them, can make a huge difference, either positively or negatively to the emotional health of our children. It also had caused me to reflect on my own losses, how I was taught to respond as a child and continued to repeat these responses in how I responded to my own children’s grief and loss events as a parent. How different would the world be if we all knew this work? To anyone unsure of whether to attend, with confidence I can say you will not regret it if you do. Thank you Deb.

Sharon Deegan – Grief Recovery Method Specialist 

Attending the course initially served as a means to address the lingering grief I harboured over the loss of a student many years ago. However, as the weeks progressed, it became evident that the scope of healing extended far beyond that single event. Each session peeled back layers of my own life, revealing losses not necessarily tied to death but nevertheless impactful, events that I had not previously considered as a loss. The narrative progressively shifted, and it became an introspective journey into my own experiences. In the safety of the course environment, I found solace in sharing my reflections and discoveries. It was a sanctuary where vulnerability was not only accepted but encouraged. With each passing week, I delved deeper into the connection between my readings and personal encounters, gradually unravelling the intricate threads of my healing process.

Through this journey, I gained invaluable insights into the importance of acknowledging and completing each loss. It was a transformative process, equipping me with the tools necessary to navigate my own healing journey and extend that support to others, particularly the children I will engage with in my role as an Outreach Officer. Now, equipped with a newfound understanding and a sense of readiness, I approach both my personal healing and professional endeavours with a renewed sense of purpose and conviction. It’s a journey of growth and resilience, one that I am eager to embark upon with clarity and compassion

This course provides guidance on the use of language when discussing feelings and offers advice about active listening.

It benefits so many areas of life – skills with both children, and adults. It enhances our ability to understand ourselves more.

I have enjoyed the course and have learnt a lot of new language and activities to support my family and the families I work with. If I had learnt this knowledge when my children were younger I would have spoken to and comforted them in a more positive way.

In my role as an outreach, I work with children under five years old and their families. I can now feel competent in helping them in dealing with grief.

This course is going to be a valuable tool for me for years to come.

Thank you so much.

Jenny, Outreach support worker, Manchester 

When I started this course I didn’t realise I hadn’t completed my grief with the loss of my mum.

This course has really helped me understand the myths behind grief and I would recommend anyone who is helping children in any way to attend this course. Deborah is honest, caring and has a true belief that grief recovery does work. It will enhance my professional practice because I have completed my own grief, now I am equipped to help support children fully in their recovery.

Joanne, Teaching Assistant, St John’s Primary School, Tameside

Thank you so much for the enlightening and engaging way you delivered your course. I learnt so much. There were things I already knew but you certainly expanded my knowledge and better practice. All the best as you continue to grow and to help those who have input in children’s lives are better aware to help them grieve their loss.

Would be great to meet up with you again.

Ps now thinking  of renewing my GRM licence .

Best regards

Yvonne xx

I have loved this course and I am passionate about supporting children who are grieving a change. I now know this is not just through a death and I am more aware of the fact that all the children I work with have experienced a loss of some kind. I am now confident in helping children with loss, I will always ensure that I am a ‘heart with ears!’

This course has been a massive eye opener. It helps you to not only identify and tackle grief, but also supports you to accept difficult emotions and help process them. I feel it has been incredibly useful for my role and will be implemented regularly. It has given me the ability to understand different types of grief and given me skills to help others work towards completion.

Thank you Deborah

This course unlocks and challenges taboos, myths, stereotypes, misperceptions and fears surrounding grief and loss. It provides adults with fresh knowledge alongside highly practical tools and action to take so they can become comfortable and secure in what they are doing when guiding and supporting children they care for through all of the many, varied, unique types of losses that are a part of life.

Actively participating in this course gave me the opportunity to fully digest the contents of the “When Children Grieve” course book whilst appreciating how skilfully Deb led the group, bringing added meaning and understanding, with many real examples from her wide-ranging experience and work with children. Thank you so much Deb, you are a truly impactful, passionate heart, leading the way and making such a vital difference to how children’s emotions are expressed, heeded and heard. I wish this had been an obligatory part of my training as an educational psychologist.

Ruth Eaton – Educational Psychologist, Advanced Grief Recovery Method Specialist

This course has been very thought-provoking and has helped me along the way. Deborah, you have really made me feel supported and I hope that I will be able to support children in my school.

I came into the program wanting to help young people deal with loss as my younger sister didn’t get this when our mum passed away. This course has been eye opening and very emotional. I have taken the information and strategies from this and already been using them in real time. I have also found out lots of new things about myself and realised the reasons why I have acted certain ways over the years. I could not recommend this course highly enough and Deborah has been absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for letting me have the opportunity of doing this course!

Sarah, Teacher, Alder High School, Tameside 

Dealing with a child’s death is incomprehensible, heart wrenching and overwhelming. After hearing about Debbie’s programme for helping staff navigate this hugely sensitive area, we were cautious and sceptical at first but Debbie was extremely reassuring and heard our worries and put us at our ease straight away. The professional methods and her calm way of being set the tone for the rest of the course. With a combination of safeguarding, reading tasks, sharing experiences and case studies, our staff felt better equipped to support our young people, parents and staff through this difficult time, as well us prepare us for future ripples and uncertainty. A huge thank you from us for all the support you gave us during this very challenging period.

Deputy Headteacher, Secondary School, Lancashire. 

This course has provided me with the confidence to support children through the process of loss and not just bereavement. I understand the use of language and allowing a space & time to process and talk about loss.

Although the subject of loss is personal this course recognised individuals experiences of loss and provided personal strategies to complete loss. In turn, allowing use to support others to share their stories and support with personal completions of the children in our settings.

Wow! What a journey! It’s been emotional! I have learnt so much and I’m ready to be that ‘heart with ears!’ Thanks for everything Deborah, I have loved it!

Sam, Teaching Assistant, Tameside

This course has really made me think about how best to help children or anyone that is experiencing grief. Accepting that it is okay to be sad and understanding how to ‘complete’ when we have experienced grief in our lives.

If you want to learn some practical tools to help children heal from all kinds of loss, this course will absolutely provide what you need. I attended the group in March 2025. Deb Brown delivers the programme with sensitivity, compassion and professionalism. You will learn so much and feel heard. Deb is totally committed and has a wealth of experience working with adults and helping children directly as an ex-Head teacher. Thank you so much Deb. 

Ingrid Massie – Advanced Grief Recovery Method Specialist and parent.

I cannot thank you enough Deborah for how you have conducted this course. You have expressed yourself in such an explicit and sincere manner that you have inspired me to dig deep and empty out and drop out all the pain, frustration, anger, and grief that I have felt all these years.

I feel empowered and able to express myself and identify grief and have tools to help me cope and overcome my anxiety and fears.

The purpose of attending this course is to help me understand and know what steps to take in order to improve my quality of life.  I will also use it to support my young people who are in transition to independent living. It is useful to support my children and grandchildren also.

I am certain that I will be continuing with one to one course that will provide me the opportunity and tools to unpack and address situations that are directed to my circumstances.

Once again, I want you to know that I really appreciate you and I am already telling my manager and colleagues about how incredibly and important this course is and the difference it will make in our practice.

This course has definitely impacted the language I will use in school and the way I respond to children’s emotions.

It has been beneficial on a personal and professional level. It has made such an impact on how and what I view as loss, and how I will deal with it in the future.

Thank you Deborah

A hard but very rewarding course. I now feel that I have the skills to not only help children in my care deal with loss but also to better manage my own.

Headteacher, Tameside 

I became aware of the Loss Project when Deborah came into school to introduce the resources to the children who had been chosen to take part. The materials are very high quality, well written and thought out and both child and adult friendly. I then had the chance to partake in the “Helping Children with Loss” course which was delivered via Zoom over 4 weeks. I found this to be immensely valuable and thought-provoking, it will definitely help me to support the children with their losses in the future alongside the resources.

Angela, Special Support Assistant, Tameside