Marcus Elliott, BA (Hons), Cert, Adv Cert, Dip, MBACP (Accred)

I am an accredited counsellor specialising in bereavement counselling which I deliver through video-based and audio-based calls. My practise is called Lamenta Online Bereavement Counselling and is available to clients living in Ireland and the UK. I have over 20 years experience of working in various psychological support services including the prison service, social services, drug and alcohol services and counselling services. My most recent experience has involved working as a telephone counsellor for employee assistance programmes, a role I undertook for 10 years. This has given me a lot of experience of working remotely from clients and seeing how effective other types of counselling practise can be that differ from more traditional forms of face-to-face counselling. Working for employee assistance programmes has given me a lot of experience of working with bereavement. It is reckoned that 1 in 2 clients will present with bereavement to generic counselling services. I also experienced bereavement to be a part of a client's issue, even if it wasn't in the initial presentation. What also became evident was the need for counselling in this area as many clients lacked the support to help them cope with and recover from their grief reaction. My reasons for specialising in the area of bereavement also include my own personal experiences of loss and grief. I have found that my own experiences have increased my natural empathy, understanding and attunement to clients who have experienced bereavement. I also had my own personal counselling following my own experiences of loss, which was most helpful at the time, and has left me with more appreciation of how this can help, and increased my motivation to offer this to others. Bereavement, and its accompanying grief reaction, can be one of the most difficult and painful experiences any of us have to go through in life. Counselling can provide a safe and confidential space in which to explore and process this reaction, helping to cope with it and to make sense of what it involves. Online booking is available on my website if you feel my support could help you during this period of your life.