How Does Therapy Support Individuals With Learning Disabilities Deal With Their Grief.

People with learning disabilities often face unique challenges in navigating grief and bereavement due to several factors related to their cognitive differences and communication abilities. Their understanding of abstract concepts like death and loss may be limited, making it difficult to fully comprehend the permanence and implications of a loved one’s passing.

Communication barriers may compound these challenges. Many individuals with learning difficulties and disabilities struggle to articulate their emotions or ask questions about their loss, leading to frustration and unresolved feelings. They may also have difficulty understanding explanations about death, even when simplified.

Cognitive processing differences can result in delayed grief reactions or atypical expressions of mourning. Some may exhibit challenging behaviours or regress in certain skills as a way of expressing their emotional distress, which can be misinterpreted by caregivers or support staff.

Social and emotional skills deficits may impact their ability to seek and receive comfort from others or participate in traditional mourning rituals. This can lead to increased isolation during a time when support is crucial.

Additionally, people with learning disabilities may have limited life experiences or reduced social networks, potentially intensifying the impact of a significant loss. They may also struggle with the concept of time, making it challenging to process the idea that their loss is permanent.

Lastly, caregivers and support systems may underestimate their capacity to grieve or fail to recognize signs of bereavement, potentially leading to inadequate support during this critical time.

Supporting Individuals With Learning Disabilities:

My name is Laura Gilroy, I am currently in my final year of a Master of Arts in Integrative Counselling. Throughout my childhood and adult life, I have considered myself to be a naturally empathic individual who has been drawn to help others, and it is for this reason I have pursued a career in counselling.

In 2022, I enrolled in the MA program at Leeds Beckett University, which is accredited by the BACP and requires a minimum of 100 placement hours. This has given me the opportunity to work within Family Support Teams as a Volunteer Bereavement Counsellor at local hospices.

Within these roles, I developed an awareness of the complexities around the social taboos of death, which empowered me to want to develop my practice within bereavement services.

Now, in the final year of my studies, I am required to conduct a research thesis and being interested in exploring grief and bereavement support has led me to become curious about how this affects the different needs of individuals.

Prior to my current course as a counselling undergraduate, I had a desire to build on my life skills to provide me with a greater awareness of the difficulties that life can bring. Consequently, I pursued a career within the Health and Social Care Sector, whereby I supported individuals with a range of needs.

It is pertinent to reflect on one support role, as this has become the foundation to my research. For six years, I supported individuals with learning disabilities within their own homes and last year, one of these individuals died and I attended their funeral, after which I became curious as to why other individuals I supported weren’t at the funeral and if they were okay. I discussed with support staff how these individuals were coping with their grief, due to having lived with the person who had died for forty years. It was with this conversation that I felt it was important to research the grief experiences of individuals with learning disabilities and the support they can receive. Given my experience as a bereavement counsellor, I am aware that grief does not discriminate and affects everyone.

The Importance Of Research Related To Grief Experiences:

On reflecting on my studies, there has been minimal information provided about working with learning disability clients, therefore, this has empowered my research project. I would like to conduct an investigation into the therapeutic experiences of therapists who are working therapeutically with clients with learning disabilities who are navigating their grief.

I feel that there is a heightened importance for this research, given the limited literature available and would like this project to add to existing research. Furthermore, I feel that this is a valuable study to educate and empower therapists to offer more equitable services.

Being dyslexic myself, I have personal experience of being undervalued and am aware that this could result in researcher bias, due to my personal experiences, however, listening to the experiences of others can minimise my involvement. I am passionate about equality and believe that this research could embrace the profession to be a more inclusive and accessible service for marginalised individuals. Dwight Turner mentions in the March 2025 edition of the BACP’s Therapy Today that it is essential to find ways to hear the voices of people who have not been given the space to speak about their experiences. Therefore, sharing therapist’s experiences of working with learning disability client groups could inspire other therapists to contribute their skills.

I wonder if you could help me?

Are you a therapist who has had experience working therapeutically with clients with learning disabilities who are navigating their grief? If so, I would be extremely interested in listening to your experiences.

Taking part in the research will involve an informal interview with me using an online platform such as Microsoft Teams and will be arranged for a date and time that suits you. There is no set time for how long the interviews will last as this will depend upon how much you want to say, but it is anticipated that this will last for approximately 1 hour.

If you would like more information about the study, then please contact

myself at [email protected]

Thank you for taking the time to read about me and my passion for my intended research. I hope to hear from you soon.