Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service - JBCS

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Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service - JBCS

The Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service offers confidential counselling to individuals, couples, children and families in the Jewish Community

The Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service (JBCS) is a service dedicated to bereavement counselling. JBCS is committed to ensuring that professional, skilled and confidential bereavement counselling is available to everyone in the Jewish Community. JBCS seeks to work in ways that respect your values, beliefs, resources, and needs. Anyone struggling or having difficulties managing after the death o

f a significant person in their lives can contact us. Why a Jewish Service

Our counsellors understand the specific issues raised by bereavement within a Jewish context. A Jewish service can be sensitive, aware and knowledgable about social, cultural and religious needs. Our Counsellors

Have comprehensive training and knowledge in the issues of grief and loss. See adults and children individually, families, couples and groups. See people at all stages of life, from childhood to old age. Have experience in supporting people affected by loss, including su***de, disaster, holocaust issues, sudden infant death, miscarriages, still birth and abortion. Increasingly through outreach work, we are now offering support groups such as: Butterflies, for bereaved individuals with young children of their own; Aftershock for young adults (18-30) who have lost a parent; Stepping Stones, for adults (40-65) who have lost a partner; Afterloss for adults (65+) who have lost a partner and lastly Stronger Together, for adults (65+) who have lost a partner (held at JW3)
See people from the entire spectrum of Jewish practice and observance. JBCS was founded in 1980. It is a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, and is bound by its Ethical Framework for counselling practice.

11/09/2025

Please donate today to our Rosh Hashanah appeal:
➡️ Click the link in our bio

“I didn’t expect the holidays to hit me so hard.”

Rachel lost her husband to illness. There had been time to say goodbye, but no time to prepare for the emptiness that followed. In the weeks after the funeral, she busied herself with tasks, told herself she was coping. But as Rosh Hashanah approached, something shifted. “I thought I was managing, but when I unpacked the candles, I broke down. Suddenly, I didn’t know how to ‘do’ it anymore, without him.”

She wasn’t alone in feeling that way. An empty chair at the table, a voice missing from the ‘Shanah tovah’ calls, a family photo that now holds more memories than people.

We hear stories like Rachel’s every day: people navigating grief at times when tradition and togetherness should bring comfort.
Grief doesn’t follow a timetable. It doesn’t wait for us to be ready. It doesn’t pause for the holidays. This Rosh Hashanah, you can help bring light into someone’s darkest time.

As we enter the New Year, please consider a donation to support our work. Your gift will help ensure no one has to face loss alone. Because grief doesn’t come with instructions, and healing often begins with just one person who listens.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy, healthy, and sweet New Year.

To read our appeal in full and to donate today:
➡️ Click the link in our bio

If you’re struggling, regardless of the time of year, you don’t have to face it alone:

📞 Call us on 020 8951 3881
📩 Email us at [email protected]
🌐 Visit jbcs.org.uk

11/04/2025

Please donate today to our Pesach appeal
➡️ Click the link in our bio

It was a different type of Passover…
Daniel sat at the head of the table
The Seder plate was set
The kids were ready
But his hands trembled

It was their first Passover without Miriam…
His beloved wife
The mother of their three children
He placed her chair back at the table, unable to remove it, her absence echoing louder than any questions his children would ask that night

The holiday once filled with laughter and song…
Now felt heavy with grief
Noa had grown silent

Desperate to help his children and himself…
Daniel turned to the Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service
With compassion and understanding, they walked beside his family through the valley of loss

The questions are no less painful

But, they are no longer met with silence

Your support can help families like Daniel’s find healing and hope

Please donate today
➡️ Click the link in our bio

Desperate to help his children and himself…
Daniel turned to the Jewish Bereavement Counselling Service
With compassion and understanding, they walked beside his family through the valley of loss

The questions are no less painful

But, they are no longer met with silence

Your support can help families like Daniel’s find healing and hope

Please donate today
➡️ Click the link in our bio

If you’re struggling, regardless of the time of year, you don’t have to face it alone

📞 Call us on 020 8951 3881
📩 Email us at [email protected]
🌐 Visit jbcs.org.uk

28/02/2025

Grief can be loud, but sometimes the most important thing is to pause and check in with yourself

A moment of stillness...

A deep breath...

A quiet reminder that it’s okay to put yourself first 💛

What do you need right now?

26/02/2025

Grief can feel overwhelming, but support can make all the difference

At JBCS, we provide a safe, compassionate space to help navigate the hardest moments - one step at a time

💙 If you’re struggling, you don’t have to face it alone

📞 Call us on 020 8951 3881
📩 Email us at [email protected]
🌐 Visit jbcs.org.uk

24/02/2025

It’s not often the JBCS team gets to take a break together - because most days, we’re busy supporting those navigating loss and grief

But last week, Trisha Curtis, Barbara Mink Freed and our Marketing consultant volunteer Jon Bezalel, made time to connect, reflect, and refuel. It’s this connection, both with each other and with our community, that keeps us going 💛

Here’s to the many amazing people behind the scenes at JBCS who make sure no one in the Jewish community faces grief alone

21/02/2025

We extend our heartfelt condolences to the Bibas family during this incredibly difficult time and remain committed to doing everything possible to ensure Shiri and all the hostages are brought home at the earliest opportunity 🙏🏼

18/02/2025

If you haven't seen it already, have a read of this wonderful article written by one of our own JBCS counsellors, Miri Sagir, in the most recent edition of the The Jewish Chronicle

💙 If you're struggling to hold both love and loss, we're here to help

Our counselling services take place by phone or online, as one-to-one sessions or support groups. If you need to talk in complete confidence, please do get in touch

📞 Call us on 020 8951 3881
📩 Email us at [email protected]
🌐 Visit jbcs.org.uk

13/02/2025

Grief doesn’t come with a rulebook. It can bring up thoughts and emotions you never expected, and sometimes, all you need is someone to listen - without judgment, without expectation.

At JBCS, we offer a safe and supportive space to talk, process, and begin to heal. However grief feels for you, you don’t have to go through it alone.

💛 If you're struggling, we’re here to help

📞 Call us on 020 8951 3881
📩 Email us at [email protected]
🌐 Visit jbcs.org.uk

11/02/2025

Talking about loss can feel impossible, especially at first. But when you’re ready - whenever that may be - support is here. JBCS provides a safe, confidential space where you can share, reflect, and begin to heal, at your own pace

Listen to Suzy Richman - one of our many highly experienced bereavements counsellors - read a quote from a JBCS client that received counselling following the death of their wife

Our counselling services take place by phone or online, as one-to-one sessions or support groups. If you need to talk in complete confidence, please do get in touch

📞 Call us on 020 8951 3881
📩 Email us at [email protected]
🌐 Visit jbcs.org.uk

10/02/2025

There are so many myths about what grief should look like - but the truth is, it’s different for everyone. No timeline, no rulebook, no "right" way to feel

❌ Myth #1: Grief happens in clear, structured stages
✅ Reality: Grief is messy - it doesn’t follow a predictable pattern

❌ Myth #2: Grief follows a timeline
✅ Reality: There’s no right or wrong way to grieve - it is different for everyone

❌ Myth #3: If you feel relief, you didn’t love them enough
✅ Reality: Relief, especially after long illnesses, is a natural and valid response to grief

❌ Myth #4: Keeping busy will help you move on faster
✅ Reality: Distractions can help temporarily, but true healing comes from allowing yourself to feel

❌ Myth #5: You should be “over it” by a certain point
✅ Reality: Grief doesn’t have an expiry date. It changes over time, but it doesn’t just disappear

Do you need to talk to someone about your grief, or know someone that might? We're here to listen

📞 Call us on 020 8951 3881
📩 Email us at [email protected]
🌐 Visit jbcs.org.uk

07/02/2025

This client’s words remind us that no one should have to navigate grief alone

At JBCS, we provide a safe space to process the emotions that come with loss - offering support, understanding, and reassurance that what you're feeling is valid

💛 If you're struggling, we’re here to help

📞 Call us on 020 8951 3881
📩 Email us at [email protected]
🌐 Visit jbcs.org.uk

05/02/2025

Listen to Suzy Richman - one of our many highly experienced bereavements counsellors - read a quote from a JBCS client that received counselling

Talking to someone who isn’t emotionally involved gives you a safe space to share your feelings openly, without worrying about burdening others or being judged

Our counselling services take place by phone or online, as one-to-one sessions or support groups. If you know someone that might need support, please do get in touch

📞 Call us on 020 8951 3881
📩 Email us at [email protected]
🌐 Visit jbcs.org.uk

Address

P0 Box 875
London
HA84WX

Telephone

+442089513881

Website

https://jbcs.org.uk/appeal/

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