Our Team

Mark Harkness

Children and Young People’s Suicide Bereavement Support

“Children need the space to grieve in their own way, at their own pace, and to know they don’t have to face it alone.”

I am passionate about supporting children and young people who have been bereaved by suicide and creating a safe, supportive space where they can talk about what has happened, ask questions and express whatever they may be feeling. Losing someone to suicide can bring a particularly complex kind of grief, and children and young people can experience and understand that loss in very different ways from adults. I believe it is important that children and young people have someone they can talk to who will listen without judgement, give them time and space, and meet them where they are.

I am a qualified Person-Centred Counsellor with extensive experience in bereavement work and a trauma-informed approach. Person-Centred Therapy is about recognising each individual as unique and offering support in a way that feels right for them. I bring this approach to my work with children and young people, understanding that there is no right or wrong way to grieve and that grief can change over time.

As part of the Every Life Matters team, I am looking forward to walking alongside children and young people and their families following a suicide bereavement. I hope to help young people feel less alone in their grief, understand that what they are experiencing is a natural response to an unimaginable loss, and support them as they begin to find a way forward while continuing to remember and honour the person they have lost.