When grief doesn't go away

Gareth Hughes

Gareth Hughes is the Clinical Lead for Student Space and is a psychotherapist, researcher and writer on student wellbeing, including the book Be Well, Learn Well

Occasionally, grief can be more complex and you may move through the process more slowly. If you aren’t feeling better over time, or your grief is getting worse, it may be a sign that you may benefit from some additional help.

Grief can sometimes become more complicated if the loss was sudden or traumatic. If you continue to have intrusive memories, flashbacks, overwhelming surges of emotion, uncontrollable and constant thoughts about your loss and feelings of helplessness or hopelessness, then it is probably a good idea to access some support, such as a counsellor or psychotherapist.

With support these experiences can ease. Even in traumatic circumstances, people do often find ways to move on and live a fulfilling life. Just because you feel this way now, it does not mean you feel like this forever.


However bleak things feel right now, there is hope. Please use the support available to you – even if you don’t yet believe it can help you. There are people available who want to help and support you.

Page last reviewed: October 2022