Spotlight on members' professional development: Becoming a bereavement volunteer
In this new series of posts, we'll be interviewing APDO professional organisers who have undertaken additional qualifications or training, to find out how their clients and businesses have benefitted. In the first of this new series, Moira Stone of Uncluttered Wales talks to Lisa Pantling of Clutter Free Living about becoming a bereavement volunteer.What is a bereavement volunteer?
Bereavement happens to everybody. We all lose people. And there's a huge demand for support. I'm a volunteer with Cruse Bereavement Care, a national charity which offers free confidential bereavement support to anybody. No formal referral is needed - clients can just refer themselves. It's a lovely charity to be involved with. (Cruse Bereavement Care also provides support in Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man). Cruse usually offers introductory sessions on understanding your grief and then one-to-one support or bereavement group support. During the COVID-19 pandemic we're mainly offering telephone and email support although some areas are providing 1:1 Zoom sessions. It is very humbling to hear some of the difficult situations that our clients have endured. It feels such a privilege to be able to help in some way.How did you get interested in this area of work?
I'm a registered independent social worker and I work mainly with people with hoarding behaviours. My clients are often people with disabilities or mental health challenges that lead to an accumulation of clutter. When you start chatting to clients you can feel their distress. So many seem to have unresolved grief and might have experienced multiple or complicated bereavements. Many have never had any formal support. It all seems to make sense as to why they have difficulties with clutter. I saw that Cruse were advertising for volunteers and I thought I would love to volunteer, and it would also help so much with my hoarding clients.
Tell us about the training
It's a great course! You learn so much! It's five days, spread over several weeks. It's often on a Saturday as some volunteers are at work in the week. On completion you get a foundation certificate from the National Counselling Society. There are some really complex issues around grief. On the course we cover:- theories about grief and bereavement
- practical listening skills
- group work with lots of role playing (participants take turns to play different roles, listen or observe other people using an assessment tool)
- different cultural beliefs around funeral traditions, bereavement and grief.
How much does the course cost?
The course usually costs a few hundred pounds and is held face-to-face. During the COVID-19 pandemic though, Cruse has moved it online and if you sign up to be a volunteer, it's free - which is an amazing opportunity. Being a Cruse bereavement volunteer can be quite flexible. You could volunteer for as little as an hour a week, typically spending six sessions with each client.What makes a good bereavement volunteer?
Compassion and empathy. The client needs to feel that they are being listened to, that you are genuine and that you care. A good rapport is important, and it's essential that they feel they can trust you and that you will maintain confidentiality - similar skills to supporting people to declutter!
How are your clients and business benefitting?
The roles of professional organiser and bereavement volunteer are very well matched. Undertaking the Cruse volunteer training has really enhanced my professional practice and my business. Since completing the course, I've drawn on it with almost all of the clients I've worked with. Everyone goes through bereavement at some time in their life and it affects us differently, depending on the relationship with the person who died, and how we remember them. It's also important to understand that we grieve over more than just people. It might be a relationship, a job or a previous home. We even feel grief about getting older and our lives changing in ways that we can't control or reverse. Even the most straightforward declutter and organise or packing and unpacking job can bring up many deeply buried feelings, when a client comes across an item that once belonged to a grandparent or something that reminds them of a special day or event. Having an understanding of this and the theoretical background, as well as the practical skills and counselling techniques, has been invaluable. Being there to support a client through this process, giving them a safe place to talk, reassuring them that what they are feeling is perfectly understandable and giving them confidence to make choices for their future is a very special part of our job. Finally, I feel that volunteer work is a wonderful way to build great connections and enhance my own wellbeing. When we give time to others, we get so much more than we give.Thank you, Lisa, for explaining how beneficial your bereavement volunteer work has been for your clients and business.
If this is a topic that interests you, Margaret Ginger of Cruse Bereavement Care will be speaking at the APDO Conference on 20 May 2021.