ABSTRACT
Most people will experience loss at some point in their lives and it can come in many forms. Grief is usually used to describe the reaction to any form of loss, whilst bereavement may be specifically related to grief involving the death of a loved one. Weller explains how Scandinavian cultures describe the shift in their daily rhythms following grief as a time of ‘living in the ashes’, named after the tradition of spending days alongside the fires in the centre of a longhouse following a significant loss. Loss of a loved person is one of the most intensely painful experiences any human can suffer. Not only is it painful to experience but it is painful to witness. There is a consensus that adverse childhood experiences such as loss or separation may be associated with long-term physical and mental health difficulties if the young person is not supported to process or make sense of these experiences in an appropriate way.
