17 October 2017

A CONFERENCE ORGANISED BY Child Bereavement UK has highlighted the need for more training and education to recognise and treat Complicated Grief. This serious and often misunderstood condition is estimated to affect around 10% of the adult bereaved population, leaving them stuck in the grieving process.

On her first professional visit to the UK, Dr Katherine Shear from the Center for Complicated Grief in New York, told delegates about the success of the treatment she and her team have been practising in America. Dr Shear said:

As professionals it is important that we understand, recognise and treat the symptoms of Complicated Grief and how they impact on an individual’s life, and those around them.

Dr Shear has spent decades conducting clinical research in anxiety, depression and related disorders. She has developed Complicated Grief treatment and confirmed its efficacy in three large NIMH funded studies.

Paula Abramson, Head of Training at Child Bereavement UK said:

We were delighted to host Dr Shear along with other world-leading experts in the field. There was a real buzz and energy in the room and the day exceeded all of our expectations.

Delegates were so enthralled by Dr Shear’s opening presentation that at one point the room was plunged into darkness. This was because the audience was so still that the motion sensor lights, detecting no movement, turned themselves off!

This very popular event was fully booked months in advance with a substantial waiting list. Many delegates said it was one of the best conferences they have ever attended, describing the day as:

‘wonderful,’ ‘engaging,’ ‘inspiring,’ ‘enlightening,’

The conference was chaired by Dr Colin Murray-Parkes and joined by guest speakers David Trickey from The Anna Freud National Centre for Children and Families, and Dr Susan Delaney from The Irish Hospice Foundation.

In light of the overwhelmingly positive feedback, Paula Abramson of Child Bereavement UK concluded:

There is clearly an appetite in the UK for further knowledge and training in this specialist area of bereavement work.

ENDS

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Notes for Editors
Child Bereavement UK supports families and educates professionals when a baby or child of any age dies or is dying, or when a child is facing bereavement. Since the charity was launched in 1994, we have trained over 90,000 professionals helping them to better understand and meet the needs of grieving families.

This conference took place in London on Friday 6^th October and was supported by Fieldfisher & the Eranda Rothschild Foundation.

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