Suicide Bereavement Support Worker

Make a real difference when it matters most

At Rethink Mental Illness, we believe everyone deserves support, understanding and hope—especially during life’s most difficult moments.

We’re looking for a compassionate and skilled Suicide Bereavement Support Worker / Counsellor to join our Support After Suicide Service in the Black Country. In this role, you’ll walk alongside people navigating grief after suicide—helping them find strength, meaning, and ways to cope.

This is more than a counselling role. It’s an opportunity to be part of a service that reaches people at a deeply vulnerable time and supports them, their families, and their wider networks with empathy and expertise.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll deliver high-quality, person-centred support in community settings, working flexibly to meet people where they are—emotionally and physically.

Your work will include:

• Providing specialist suicide bereavement counselling tailored to individual needs
• Supporting people to understand and manage grief, build coping strategies, and move forward
• Carrying out risk assessments and safeguarding responsibilities
• Delivering 1:1 support, family sessions, and contributing to group support
• Working collaboratively with colleagues, partners, and local services
• Keeping clear, accurate clinical records and measuring outcomes
• Helping reduce waiting times by managing a structured caseload
• Building relationships across communities to improve access and awareness
• Contributing to the continuous improvement of the service

You’ll be part of a compassionate, multi-disciplinary team, delivering support face-to-face, by phone, and digitally.

About you

You bring both professional expertise and genuine empathy to your work.

• Diploma in Counselling (or equivalent) and BACP registration/eligibility
• Strong understanding of grief and loss
• Experience conducting assessments and managing risk
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• Ability to work independently, manage a caseload, and remain resilient in emotionally demanding situations
• Commitment to inclusive, person-centred practice
• Willingness to work flexibly, including occasional evenings and weekends
• Experience with trauma-informed approaches
• Experience working with children and young people
• Knowledge of the Black Country
• Training in suicide prevention (e.g. ASIST, Safe Talk)
• Lived experience of bereavement by suicide

How you’ll work

• Field-based, working across the Black Country
• Flexible delivery including home visits, community settings, and remote support
• Core service hours: 10am–6pm, with some evening/weekend flexibility
• Working with around 150–200 referrals per year as part of a wider team