At Birmingham Hospice we believe no one should suffer in silence if they are struggling with their grief after the death of a loved one.
The hospice has trained and experienced counsellors who are here to listen to a person or family’s emotional concerns and provide support.
Diane Fisher initially felt she was coping with the loss of beloved husband of 60 years, David, to cancer in 2023 but realised over time that she needed help.
She turned to our Wellbeing Team and organised friendly and confidential sessions with counsellor Chris Stephenson, who helped her to move into a better place.
Diane had been David’s main carer in the 18 months after his diagnosis and received help from our Hospice at Home team when his health deteriorated in the final days.
She said: “I think at first you run on adrenaline, especially when I was caring for David. There was also the funeral, people popping in to visit, and it wasn’t until it calmed down afterwards that it really hits you.
“I was in a very dark place for a long while. I started getting worse, I would sit at home all day not doing anything because I didn’t want to.”
Diane had attended several of our group sessions but was sceptical about seeking one-to-one counselling. After seeing firsthand the positive impact on several family members, she decided to contact the hospice.
She said: “Chris is a lovely person, and we’d chat about anything; we’d chat about Dave and about things I wasn’t able to talk to my family about.
“It was wonderful, it really was. I had five sessions, and I was doing great.”
While Diane no longer needs counselling, she knows she can pick up the phone and speak with Chris if needed.
We offer one-to-one support as well as support groups for those with life-limiting conditions and their families, and art therapy to help support with wellbeing, all of which are free of charge to anyone with a connection to the hospice.
“I am out of the dark place,” said Diane.
“I still have bad days but not like they were when I didn’t want to carry on. I am really a strong person but even the strongest people need help.
“If you’re offered counselling, take it or seek it out if you need to. If someone asked me what we did, I would say we talked about everything.
“Chris let me talk and every week I felt better. They do wonderful work there.”
