Community Blog: Reflections on a variety of griefy topics.

Get in touch if you’d like to submit something, we’d love to hear from you: grief.programmes@kaplan.com

  • ‘Our lives are in a different colour now’

    ‘Our lives are in a different colour now’

    Grief is not just a matter of missing a person. It can complicate our relationship with ourselves and the ways we function on a day-to-day basis. Josephine shares some of the ways that her losses impact the way she thinks and feels – from her memory to her self esteem.

  • The realities of university support systems

    The realities of university support systems

    A recent article in The Times shows us how university welfare systems are failing bereaved students, and why we need more well-informed, compassionate and hands on support.

  • For those impacted by cancer

    For those impacted by cancer

    Fole recently founded Good Grief, a community to connect anyone who has been affected by cancer. Here she shares some of the ways she has personally been impacted, from losing her Grandma and then her Mum, to finding out the chances of developing cancer herself are significantly higher than average.

  • A dream about my brother

    A dream about my brother

    I’m not sure I believe in ‘letting go’ of grief, or what that would even entail, but I wanted to reflect on the idea of carrying someone with us as we reconnect to the good in our life. This is a short creative piece based on a dream I had…

  • Searching for an anchor

    Searching for an anchor

    Whatever our age, life stage, whether they were loving and close, or had a more complex relationship with us, or none at all, when we lose a parent, it is felt deeply in every cell of our body. We can feel like we are losing essence, or a part of…

  • Grieving an absent parent

    Grieving an absent parent

    I have been wildy struck with the fact that I lost a dad who I didn’t have in the first place – anyone with an addict parent will understand this. I lose a possible opportunity in the future to try and build a relationship with someone who I am half…

  • Some challenges uni throws us after loss

    Some challenges uni throws us after loss

    Evee shares her experience of university life after she lost her mum in 2018. Evee is the co-founder of The Grief Reality, a wonderful blog where you can read many more lived experiences of grief and even contribute your own story.

  • Grief and Loss During Ramadan

    Grief and Loss During Ramadan

    We spoke to Shuma from Spoken Grief about her experiences of grief and loss during the month of Ramadan – from the difficulties of fasting when going in and out of hospital, to feeling like she can’t enjoy the month in the same way and missing her mum’s cooking.

  • Life After: A Podcast

    Life After: A Podcast

    Life After, a podcast by Theo Silberston, is a platform where young people can share and discuss their experiences with grief. Theo kicks off the second series by asking our founder, Anna, about the loss of her brother and father, and how it is to run The Student Grief Network.

  • Working through grief at medical school

    Working through grief at medical school

    Andrew’s dad died in 2012. Here he reflects on how his grief has impacted him over the years, from the initial aftermath, feeling like the elephant in the room and focusing all his energy on his A Levels, to getting into medical school and having to support dying patients and…

  • Exploring my loss, and making it public

    Exploring my loss, and making it public

    Ellie writes about her experience of putting on an interactive exhibition with The Student Grief Network in December 2021, what she learnt about her own grief and the process of sharing that and guiding others to do the same.

  • How did grief impact your time at uni?

    How did grief impact your time at uni?

    Interviews with some of our team exploring the main challenges that grief posed during their university experience.