LSShetland

06/06/2026

Is The Grieving Body course right for you?



It is designed for experienced practitioners — people who already work with bereaved individuals and bring significant professional expertise to that work.



It is not an introductory grief training.

It's for you if you are a:

* Grief counsellor, death doula or bereavement support worker wanting to integrate neuroscience into your practice framework

* Hospice care professional supporting patients and families through dying and death

* Healthcare chaplain accompanying people at the intersection of loss and meaning

* Funeral celebrant sitting with bereaved families at some of the most concentrated moments of grief

* Someone with experience of accompanying people through grief

* Mental health clinician working with clients where grief is present, complicated, or prolonged

* Social care practitioner supporting those navigating loss alongside other challenges



If you already understand grief. If you already hold bereaved people with skill and compassion. And if you've ever wondered what the body is actually doing — this
course was built for you.



The Grieving Body: A Neurobiological Framework for Grief Support 40 hours | CPD-accredited | August–December
2026 | Live Zoom cohort + self-paced eLearning



Registration is open now. Places are limited. Details in the first comment.

30/05/2026

The learning body

One of the most important — and least told — stories in grief neuroscience is this:

The body that is disrupted by loss is the same body that learns to adapt to it.

Through neuroplasticity, the brain forms new neural pathways. The nervous system gradually strengthens its capacity to self-regulate without the co-regulatory partner it has lost. The attachment system slowly learns to hold connection internally, rather than requiring physical presence.

This is not recovery in the sense of returning to what was before. That person is gone, and the before is gone with them.

It is something more honest. A fundamental reorganisation. A new way of functioning that integrates the loss rather than erasing it.
Grief takes the time it takes because the body is doing something genuinely complex. Not failing. Not stuck. Adapting.

When practitioners understand this, they can hold a different kind of hope for the people they support. Not false reassurance. Not timelines. Biologically grounded confidence that the body knows what it's doing.

This is Module 4 of The Grieving Body: A Neurobiological Framework for Grief Support — a 40-hour CPD-accredited programme running August–December 2026. Registration is open.

Details in the first comment.

23/05/2026

Grief is not a disorder.

It is not a failure to cope. It is not a sign that someone is stuck or weak or doing it wrong.
Grief is a biological crisis.

When someone significant dies, the body loses not just their emotional presence — it loses a sophisticated energy management partner. Someone who helped regulate sleep, hormones, routines, nervous system responses. Someone whose presence was woven into the body's baseline functioning, often for years or decades.
Their absence doesn't just hurt. It destabilises.

This is the framework that neuroscientist Professor Mary-Frances O'Connor has spent years building — and it changes everything about how we support bereaved people. Not because it makes grief easier. But because it makes grief legible. Biological. Expected.
When we understand it that way, we can finally stop pathologising it.

This is the foundation of a course I have written - The Grieving Body: A Neurobiological Framework for Grief Support — a 40-hour CPD-accredited programme for experienced grief practitioners running August–December 2026.

Over the coming weeks I'll be sharing more about the neuroscience behind the course. If you're a grief counsellor, bereavement support worker, hospice professional, healthcare chaplain, funeral celebrant, or mental health clinician — follow along. This was built for you.

https://share.articulate.com/PHJO7pztJEtc2yZNDrFoz

23/05/2026

After a busy few months I am delighted to say that The CPD Certification Service have accredited the Grieving Body Course as offering 40 CPD hours for participants. LSShetland is gearing up to run this blended learning course again, starting in August.

More details on the website:

https://www.lsshetland.co.uk/training-services/

Or you can link straight to full details here:

https://share.articulate.com/PHJO7pztJEtc2yZNDrFoz

LSShetland is delighted to announce that our tried and tested Grieving Body course has been assessed and accepted by the CPD Certification Service as 40 hours of accredited CPD.

06/09/2025

https://www.lsshetland.co.uk/the-grieving-body-training/

06/09/2025

Only six days left to sign up for the Grieving Body Course.

Professional grief support training on the physiology of loss. Learn co-regulation & body budget theory. Blended course for healthcare professionals. Led by NHS educator Dr Linda Dunbar.

03/09/2025

Gorgeous red moon and Mirrie Dancers in Shetland last night.

30/08/2025

Still time to sign up for a groundbreaking course in grief training.

Course starts 29 September 2025

More details here: https://www.lsshetland.co.uk/the-grieving-body-training/

30/08/2025

Empowering through professional training

LSShetland offers bespoke educational solutions tailored to your workforce development needs. Drawing on extensive experience as a Senior Educator with NHS Education for Scotland, we create engaging, accessible training resources that drive real practice change.

Our training portfolio spans reflective practice, listening skills, grief training, self-care, and person-centred approaches - all grounded in Universal Design for Learning principles to ensure inclusivity. Whether you need classroom delivery, digital resources, or blended learning solutions, we work collaboratively with organisations across health, social care, education, and community sectors to deliver training that enhances both professional capability and organisational effectiveness.

Transform your grief support with scientifically based training on the physiology of loss. Learn Dr. O'Connor's Grieving Body theory, including co-regulation, body budget, and physical grief responses.

30/08/2025

Empowering through listening:

LSShetland offers dedicated 1:1 listening sessions for all, as well as supervision services for professionals from all backgrounds.

Trained in listening and reflective practice within NHS Scotland and over 25 years of providing grief support, staff support, and interpersonal support, I offer professional listening services tailored to your needs.

While distinct from counselling, my listening service provides a structured, confidential environment where you can safely explore your thoughts and experiences with someone trained in deep listening.

Whether you are facing everyday stresses, bigger life challenges, or work-related issues - having someone available who can deeply listen to you can make all the difference.

Checkout my website for more details: www.lsshetland.co.uk

or email: [email protected]

LSShetland offers bespoke educational solutions tailored to your workforce development needs. Drawing on extensive experience as a Senior Educator with NHS Education for Scotland, we create engaging, accessible training resources that drive real practice change.