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Bereavement & Spiritual Support

At St Barnabas we know how difficult it can be to live with a life-limiting or terminal illness. We understand this affects not just the person with the condition, but also their family, friends and carers.

Bereavement & Spiritual Support

We can support you and your family during this difficult time

by offering counselling, bereavement support, & spiritual care. We also have support groups available including creative groups, coffee mornings, condition-specific groups and more.

View our support groups
Supporter with Photo (Remembering Loved One)

Counselling

We offer one-to-one counselling to the patients of St Barnabas, their family members, friends and carers. This support can be accessed within one of our hospice buildings or in the comfort of your own home, by telephone or video call. We can provide guidance to families in how to support children, but we do not offer direct counselling support to under 18’s.

We are also pleased to offer a new fee-paying general counselling service for people registered with a Lincolnshire GP. This service offers support for a wide range of emotional and personal challenges, whether or not they are connected to hospice care or bereavement.

Income from this service will help sustain our free palliative and bereavement counselling, meaning every paid session helps us continue supporting local patients and families when they need us most.

To enquire about our counselling services contact us on 01522 518 246 or email counselling.services@stbarnabashospice.co.uk.

Download the Brochure
St Barnabas Nurse with Candle

What is counselling?

Emotional or psychological distress, increased anxiety and worry is not uncommon among people affected by life-limiting or terminal illness. Talking about your thoughts and feelings in a safe and sensitive way with a trained counsellor can help.

Counselling is a professional relationship between you and a counsellor. It provides a safe space to talk about your situation and your experiences. It is not about giving advice or directing you to take a particular course of action but is a way of supporting you when faced with emotional challenges.

At St Barnabas, we understand that it can be difficult to talk with the people you care about, as it’s natural to want to protect them. The space we provide is for you to be able to voice your thoughts and feelings without judgement or fear of upsetting those that you love.

How can I access counselling?

To access support, speak to your St Barnabas healthcare professional, or to refer yourself directly call us on 01522 518 246 or email counselling.services@stbarnabashospice.co.uk.

Bereavement Support

Bereavement support is available to any adult affected by grief, not just the family and friends of those cared for by the Hospice. To access our bereavement support, you must be over the age of 18, registered with a Lincolnshire GP, and the bereavement must be of an adult.

Light up a Life Message of Love from Bereaved Supporter

Helpline

Our Bereavement Helpline is supported by trained volunteers who will offer you the time to talk about your grief and how it might be affecting you. They will offer you support emotionally, psychologically and practically. They may also signpost you to other services that may benefit you.

If they identify that ongoing bereavement support is needed, they will refer you to the counselling team for one-to-one bereavement support. Healthcare professionals can also ring the helpline to refer a person in for bereavement support.

Our Helpline is open Monday to Friday, 11.00am to 3.00pm.
Call our Bereavement Helpline on 0300 303 1897.

Handmade Felt Doves, Creative Wellbeing Group

Support Group

Anyone affected by grief is welcome to join our Bereavement Support Groups. These supportive sessions provide an opportunity to chat and connect with others who have also been bereaved, in a friendly and welcoming environment.

Find your nearest support group

Spiritual Care

Our Specialist Spiritual Care Team

During difficult times, you may have questions about mortality, hope, purpose and meaning, that are hard to face and understand. Our specialist Spiritual Care Team, made up of religious leaders and ministers, spiritual care champions, and volunteers, can provide a listening ear. We can help you re-connect with your sources of peace and meaning through religion, meditation, or other spiritual support.

What is spiritual care?

Spiritual care addresses a person’s understanding of life, hope, meaning, and purpose. It helps us connect with the things in our lives that provide strength, comfort, and peace. Spiritual care is available in the Inpatient Unit in Lincoln, Hospice in the Hospital in Grantham and those accessing Hospice at Home throughout Lincolnshire.

How can I access spiritual care?

At St Barnabas we want to make sure that your spirituality is understood and built into your care at every level. All you need to do is speak with a St Barnabas staff member to arrange a visit from our spiritual care team. There are Sanctuary spaces in our buildings, available to all, that offer a place of quiet and peacefulness.

In Memory Ironworks at Lincoln Cathedral

How can spiritual care support me?

We are here for everyone, irrespective of faith, beliefs, or world views. Our team can offer a safe space for patients, families, and carers to explore their spirituality and spiritual wellbeing.

We can help you:

  • Wrestle with questions such as ‘why me?’
  • Remember achievements
  • Identify worries and anxieties
  • Name the things you are thankful for
  • Talk about the good and difficult things that have happened in your life
  • Find peace in prayer or meditation
  • Connect with faith practices that offer comfort and strength
  • Talk about your spirituality and why it’s important to you
  • Talk about the people who’ve been important to you
  • Identify what gives comfort
  • Offer a place of honesty to explore any difficult feelings

Further wellbeing support

 

St Barnabas Welfare & Benefits Service Stats

Welfare and Benefits Advice

If you are living with a life-limiting or terminal illness in Lincolnshire, we might be able to help you access the benefits or grants you are entitled to. We aim to alleviate worries about financial wellbeing through the expert support and guidance of our welfare and benefits advisers.

Find out more
St Barnabas Wellbeing Centre, Boston

Wellbeing Centres

Our Wellbeing Centres across the county host a variety of groups and sessions – from exercise classes to drop-in coffee mornings and creative groups. These centres can be found in Boston, Grantham, Lincoln, and Louth. We also offer a range of wellbeing activities within Spalding and Sleaford.

Find your nearest Wellbeing Centre
St Barnabas Director of Patient Care, Rebecca Franks

Wellbeing Services

Alongside physiotherapy and occupational therapy interventions to maintain a patient’s independence, we also work collaboratively with Carers First to offer patients, their family members and carers, support where and when they need it.

Take a look at our Wellbeing Services