The Good Grief Programme - Ages 18+
Good Grief Adults
The Adult Bereavement Support Kit - supporting love, loss and continuing connection after bereavement. Developed by Noah's Story Charity to support adults following the death of someone significant in their life.
Grief in adult life
A natural response to the loss of an important relationship
The Good Grief Adults Kit is grounded in Continuing Bonds Theory and informed by contemporary bereavement research. It acknowledges that grief is not something to be “fixed” or “overcome”, but a natural response to the loss of an important relationship.
Adults often face many challenges following bereavement - emotional distress, changes in identity, shifts in family roles, loneliness, and the task of learning how to live in a world that has been permanently altered by loss. While grief can be painful and disruptive, research suggests that maintaining healthy ongoing connections with the person who has died can be an important part of adaptation.
The kit provides practical resources that encourage reflection, remembrance, self-compassion and continuing connection - supporting you to carry the love and influence of your loved one forward while rebuilding life around the loss.
Our foundation
Continuing Bonds Theory
The Good Grief Adults Kit is based upon Continuing Bonds Theory, developed by Klass, Silverman and Nickman (1996), which transformed understanding of grief and bereavement. Where older ideas suggested that people needed to detach from the person who had died, contemporary research recognises that many people continue to experience an ongoing relationship with those who have died - through memories, values, rituals, conversations, keepsakes and life choices.
For adults, continuing bonds often include:
- Remembering significant life experiences
- Talking about the person who died
- Maintaining family traditions
- Visiting meaningful places
- Carrying a keepsake
- Reflecting on lessons learned from their loved one
- Marking anniversaries and special occasions
- Feeling connected through memories, love and legacy
Research demonstrates that maintaining these bonds can support resilience, meaning-making and adjustment following bereavement.
What’s inside the kit
Kit contents and evidence base
Every item in the Good Grief Adults Kit has been chosen with care. Together they offer practical opportunities for reflection, remembrance, self-compassion and continuing connection.
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Engraved candle holder with a remembrance candle
Remembrance Candle Holder and Candle
How this supports grief
The candle holder is engraved with the Noah’s Story Charity reflection: “Your light still finds its way to me… to Infinity and Beyond.” Together with the remembrance candle, it offers a simple but meaningful opportunity to pause, remember and acknowledge the ongoing significance of a loved one’s life.
Lighting a candle can:
- Create moments of reflection
- Encourage mindfulness and self-care
- Help mark anniversaries and special dates
- Provide comfort during periods of intense grief
- Support personal remembrance rituals
Connection to Continuing Bonds Theory
Remembrance rituals are recognised as an important way of maintaining healthy continuing bonds. The candle represents the enduring influence of a loved one whose presence continues through memories, love, values and legacy.
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A smooth marble heart to hold, carry or display
Marble Heart Keepsake
How this supports grief
The marble heart offers:
- A comforting tactile object during difficult moments
- A grounding tool during periods of overwhelming emotion
- A physical reminder of enduring connection
- A symbol of love, memory and remembrance
Many people find that holding a meaningful keepsake brings reassurance and a sense of closeness when grief feels particularly intense.
Connection to Continuing Bonds Theory
Keepsakes frequently become symbolic representations of continuing bonds. The marble heart acknowledges that relationships do not end with death and can continue to hold significance throughout life.
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Book by grief researcher and therapist Dr Joanne Cacciatore
Bearing the Unbearable
How this supports grief
Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief draws on research, lived experience and therapeutic practice to offer compassionate insights into grief - while challenging societal expectations that bereaved people should “move on” or recover within a prescribed timeframe.
The book helps readers:
- Understand that grief is a natural response to love and attachment
- Feel validated in their experiences
- Develop self-compassion during bereavement
- Explore coping strategies and resilience
- Recognise that grief is deeply personal
- Find hope without denying loss
It is widely appreciated for its compassionate, non-judgemental approach, making it suitable for adults experiencing a wide range of losses.
Connection to Continuing Bonds Theory
The book aligns closely with contemporary grief theory in recognising that continuing love and connection are not obstacles to adaptation but are often central to it. It supports the understanding that grief involves learning how to carry loss, rather than being expected to leave it behind.
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Printed bereavement information booklet
Barnardo’s Bereavement Resource
How this supports grief
The booklet offers:
- Information about common grief responses
- Practical coping suggestions
- Guidance on self-care and seeking support
- Reassurance that grief experiences vary greatly
- Signposting to additional sources of help
It provides accessible information that can be returned to whenever it is needed. Because bereavement affects whole families, the resource can also help adults support bereaved children and young people while managing their own grief.
Connection to Continuing Bonds Theory
The booklet complements the Good Grief approach by encouraging reflection, remembrance, emotional expression and healthy adaptation while maintaining meaningful connections to those who have died.
Supporting Good Grief
What the Adults Kit supports
The Good Grief Adults Kit promotes key elements of evidence-informed bereavement support. It can help reduce feelings of isolation, normalise grief experiences, encourage healthy remembrance and provide comfort during significant dates and anniversaries.
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Remembrance
Healthy, ongoing remembrance through rituals, reflection and personal keepsakes.
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Self-compassion
Grief does not follow a timetable. The kit encourages kindness and patience towards yourself during bereavement.
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Meaning-making
Support to explore how your loved one’s life, values and legacy continue to influence you.
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Continuing connection
Every item reinforces the understanding that maintaining a bond with someone who has died is both normal and healthy.
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Resilience
Encouraging emotional wellbeing while recognising that grief and growth can exist alongside one another.
Grief is not a problem to be solved, but a lifelong expression of love.
Status: Pilot
Where this kit is today
The Good Grief Adults Kit has been developed and forms part of our 2027–2031 strategy. Distribution through GP practices begins with our Year One pilot: we will establish our first Good Grief Partner Practice - testing the kit model, gathering service-user feedback and shaping a scalable programme. We are also developing a sustainable distribution model, including through this website, and will share details of how to receive or give a kit as they are confirmed. You can read more in our 2027–2031 strategy.
If you need support
Support is here, whenever you are ready
There is no right or wrong way to grieve, and no timetable to keep to. These are calm places to start.
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How we can help
A gentle starting point: what Noah’s Story offers, and where to find further help for yourself or someone you care about.
Find support -
Resources
Bereavement resources and reading for adults, parents and carers - including the guidance included in our Good Grief Kits.
Browse resources -
The Infinity Initiative
A dedicated therapeutic and reflective space at Causeway Hospital, offering comfort during crisis and space for remembrance.
About the Infinity Initiative
Noah’s Story Charity provides accessible, evidence-informed bereavement support. We are not a crisis or emergency service. If you or someone you care about needs urgent help, please contact your GP or the emergency services.
Request a kit
Interested in Good Grief Adults?
A Good Grief Kit costs £22. Tell us that Good Grief Adults (18+) is the kit you are asking about and we will come back to you about how to get one. The same short form covers all four kits.