Bereavement Counsellor
Snapshot
Bereavement counsellors support and guide patients and their families to better cope with the death of the loved ones by assisting them in emergent situations, at the hospices and at the memorial services. They train other professionals and communities anticipating the supportive needs of bereavement and responding to the education requirements.
Bereavement counsellors play a vital role in providing compassionate support to those experiencing grief. Your work involves offering individual and group counselling sessions, often in hospices, memorial services, or within community settings. You'll assist individuals and families in coping with the emotional and practical challenges that arise following the death of a loved one, and may also be involved in training other professionals and community members to anticipate and respond to bereavement needs.
- • Providing individual and group counselling to bereaved individuals and families.
- • Offering support and guidance in emergent situations related to loss.
- • Collaborating with healthcare professionals and community organizations to provide comprehensive bereavement care.
Where this occupation is in demand
Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
Figures cover Legal, social and cultural professionals — 186 jobs including this one.
In shortage: Estonia, Finland, France, Germany and 2 more.
Longest-running shortage: Belgium, 4 years.
Select a place on the map to see its figures.
About this source›
Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.
What these words mean
The four things this section reports
- Reported demand
- Whether employers report needing people in this job — a judgement published by a national or EU body, not a count.
- Where it is heading
- Which way employment in this job is expected to move over the coming years, from an official projection.
- Openings
- Roughly how many openings arise — from growth and from people leaving the job.
- Typical pay
- What people in this job typically earn where the source publishes it. Blank does not mean unpaid; it means nobody publishes it for that place.
A measure is left out when nobody publishes it for that place, rather than shown as zero.
Which way the market leans for you
- In your favour
- More openings than people looking — employers are competing for candidates.
- Balanced
- Openings and candidates are roughly matched.
- Competitive
- More people looking than openings — expect to compete.
- Mixed evidence
- Sources disagree, or the same occupation group is short in one part and oversupplied in another.
Every source resolves to one of these four, so there is a single vocabulary to learn. What differs is the evidence behind it, which is printed underneath each verdict — a measured ratio of openings to jobseekers, or an assessment published by a national body.
How this job compares with other jobs in the same country
- Strong
- Among the strongest in that country
- Good
- Stronger than most jobs in that country
- Mixed
- About typical for that country
- Weak
- Weaker than most jobs in that country
This is a rank within one country, not a score you can carry across borders — the registers behind two countries count different people, so the same number means different things in each. It is also why a job can be among the strongest in a country and still show as Competitive: it leads the field in a market that is crowded overall.
Where these come from
Every figure is published by a national statistics office, a public employment service or an EU body, and each card names its source and the period it covers. Some places are counted monthly, others assessed once or twice a year, so two places on the same map can be describing different moments — the date is always shown.
None of this predicts one person’s chances. It describes a market.
Reported demand · Typical pay · Where it is heading (United States, Ireland, Australia, Malta, United Kingdom)
| Reported demand | Typical pay | Where it is heading | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Not reported | $55,010 2025-05 | +3.1% 2024–2034 · BLS 2024-2034 |
| Ireland | Not reported | — | +15.9% 2023–2035 · Cedefop 2026 * |
| Australia | Shortage reported Jobs and Skills Australia 2025 * | — | — |
| Malta | Surplus reported ELA/EURES 2024 * | — | — |
| United Kingdom | Not reported | £42,708 2025-provisional | — |
* Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS)
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Open Government Licence v3.0
Do you guide students, clients or employees? Use this occupation data in your organisation.
Future Outlook for bereavement counsellor
The outlook for bereavement counsellor is exceptionally stable. While AI tools will assist with daily tasks, the core of this role relies on human judgment, resulting in a high resilience score of 81%.
How are these scores calculated?
The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.
How could bereavement counsellor change as AI adoption grows?
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Human judgement, trust, and context remain strong protectors for this role.
Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.
Model-based estimate. Use it as a planning signal, not a guarantee.
Compare this to your profile
How AI may change this role
Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.
What still depends on people
- help clients make decisions during counselling sessions
- respond to individuals' extreme emotions
- provide social counselling
Where AI may become a co-pilot
- undertake continuous professional development in social work
- listen actively
Tasks most exposed to automation
- maintain records of work with service users
- report on social development
Vital Signs & AI Vectors
AI Exposure Vectors
0-100%Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools
Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks
Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation
Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement
Technical Details
NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.
Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.
What people in this role usually do
Healthcare & Human Services
A typical day as a bereavement counsellor
09 09:00 · Morning assess social service users' situation
10 10:30 · Mid-morning accept own accountability
12 12:00 · Midday apply quality standards in social services
14 14:00 · Afternoon build helping relationship with social service users
15 15:30 · Late afternoon cooperate at inter-professional level
17 17:00 · Wrap-up deliver social services in diverse cultural communities
Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.
What you need to do this work
The skills, knowledge and tools this role calls for — and the traits and rewards that come with it.
-
help clients make decisions during counselling sessions
Encourage clients to make their own decisions related to their problems or inner conflicts by reducing confusion and allowing clients to reach their own conclusions, with no bias whatsoever.
-
provide social counselling
Assist and guide social service users to resolve personal, social or psychological problems and difficulties.
-
help clients cope with grief
Provide support to clients having experienced the loss of close family or friends and help them to express their grief and recover.
-
manage social crisis
Identify, respond and motivate individuals in social crisis situations, in a timely manner, making use of all resources.
-
organise relapse prevention
Help the patient or client identify and anticipate high risk situations or external and internal triggers. Support them in developing better coping strategies and back-up plans in case of future difficulties.
-
have emotional intelligence
Recognize ones own and other people`s emotions, distinguish correctly between them and observing how they can influence one`s environment and social interaction and what can be done about it.
-
communicate professionally with colleagues in other fields
Communicate professionally and cooperate with members of the other professions in the health and social services sector.
-
maintain the trust of service users
Establish and maintain the trust and confidence of the client, communicating in an appropriate, open, accurate and straightforward way and being honest and reliable.
-
cooperate at inter-professional level
Cooperate with people in other sectors in relation to social service work.
-
build helping relationship with social service users
Develop a collaborative helping relationship, addressing any ruptures or strains in the relationship, fostering bonding and gaining service users` trust and cooperation through empathic listening, caring, warmth and authenticity.
-
apply quality standards in social services
Apply quality standards in social services while upholding social work values and principles.
-
relate empathetically
Recognise, understand and share emotions and insights experienced by another.
-
demonstrate leadership in social service cases
Take the lead in the practical handling of social work cases and activities.
-
manage stress in the work place
Cope with sources of stress and cross-pressure in one's own professional life, such as occupational, managerial, institutional and personal stress, and help others do the same so as to promote the well-being of your colleagues and avoid burn-out.
-
promote human rights
Promote and respect human rights and diversity in light of the physical, psychological, spiritual and social needs of autonomous individuals, taking into account their opinions, beliefs and values, and the international and national codes of ethics, as well as the ethical implications of healthcare provision, ensuring their right to privacy and honouring for the confidentiality of healthcare information.
-
encourage counselled clients to examine themselves
Support and encourage the clients to analyse and be aware of some aspects in their life that may have been distressing or impossible to tackle so far.
-
apply socially just working principles
Work in accordance with management and organisational principles and values focusing on human rights and social justice.
-
promote inclusion
Promote and respect diversity, and advocate for equal treatment of genders, ethnicities and minority groups in organisations in order to prevent discrimination and ensure inclusion and a positive environment.
-
respond to individuals' extreme emotions
React and help appropriately in case of extreme emotional reactions of individuals in a crisis situation, extreme distress or who are traumatised.
-
deliver social services in diverse cultural communities
Deliver services which are mindful of different cultural and language traditions, showing respect and validation for communities and being consistent with policies regarding human rights and equality and diversity.
-
follow health and safety precautions in social care practices
Ensure hygienic work practice, respecting the safety of the environment at day care, residential care settings and care at home.
-
promote social change
Promote changes in relationships between individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities by taking into consideration and coping with unpredictable changes, at the micro, macro and mezzo level.
behavioural therapy
The characteristics and foundations of behavioural therapy, which focuses on changing patients` unwanted or negative behaviour. It involves studying the present behaviour and the means by which this can be un-learned.
client-centred counselling
Practice that encourages clients to concentrate on how they feel at the present moment during the counseling session in order to search for the most appropriate solutions.
cognitive behavioural therapy
The solution-focused approach to treating mental disorders oriented towards solving problems by teaching new information-processing skills and coping mechanisms.
human psychological development
The human psychological development across the lifespan, theories of personality development, cultural and environmental influences, human behavior, including developmental crises, disability, exceptional behavior, and addictive behavior.
reflexion
The way to listen to individuals, to summarise the major points and clarify what they are feeling in order to help them reflect on their behaviour.
stages of bereavement
Stages of the bereavement such as the acceptance that the loss has occurred, the experience of pain, the adjustment to life without the person in question.
- counselling methods
- legal requirements in the social sector
- psychological theories
- psychology
- social justice
- social sciences
Path to become a bereavement counsellor
What it typically takes to qualify: education level, where it is a regulated profession, and where to study.
Bachelor's or equivalent level
1,672 programmes in 26 countries teach the core skills of this job. Plus 269 short courses that build single skills.
A few examples, taught in the language of this page:
Master of Science in Loss and Bereavement
RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences · Ireland
Postgraduate Diploma in Loss and Bereavement (Clinical Practice)
RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences · Ireland
These are 6 of 1,941.
Sources
- 1. Source: Europass Qualification Dataset Register (European Commission)
- 2. Irish course data from Qualifax (qualifax.ie), run by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
- 3. Source: Study with New Zealand (studywithnewzealand.govt.nz), Education New Zealand. Copyright in the material is owned by Education New Zealand (All content (c) Education New Zealand). Listings are provided by the education providers, are for information and promotional purposes only, and are not endorsed by Education New Zealand; each provider is responsible for its own content.
- 4. Source: Study in Korea, National Institute for International Education (NIIED) (studyinkorea.go.kr).
Growth Pathways & Similar Roles
Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.
Where does bereavement counsellor fit?
Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.
For organisations
The data on this page, working for your students, clients and staff.
Frequently asked questions
What kind of settings do bereavement counsellors typically work in?
What skills are particularly important for a bereavement counsellor?
Is there a specific educational path to becoming a bereavement counsellor?
How much does Bereavement Counsellor pay in the United States?
Sources: ESCO O*NET ELA/EURES Cedefop BLS Data updated October 19, 2026 About our data