Types of Grief

Understanding Different Grief Experiences

Grief takes many forms. Recognising yours can make it easier to seek help. Our professionals and volunteers can support you through each type.

At a glance

• Anticipatory Grief → Mourning before a loss (e.g. terminal illness)
• Disenfranchised Grief → Loss not recognised (miscarriage, pet, job)
• Collective Grief → Shared mourning after tragedies
• Traumatic Grief → Sudden or violent loss
• Ambiguous Grief → Uncertain loss (missing person, dementia)
• Cumulative Grief → Multiple losses close together
• Pet Grief → When a companion animal dies
• Secondary Grief → Extra losses linked to the main one
• Delayed Grief → Emotions surfacing later
• Grief After Suicide → Complex, painful, and stigmatised