Either way, our contact doesn't end with the funeral service itself. With a professional background in pastoral care, I always make a point of contacting families in the months after the service, just to see how you're doing and to offer any additional support I can. There's often a "dip" in the grieving process a couple of months after a bereavement: life begins to settle down and move on, and people slowly stop asking how you're doing. This can be a lonely experience, and so I usually try to time my follow ups accordingly.

The "follow-up" is often brief and straightforward - perhaps a phone call, or a letter -  but sometimes, families need a little extra support as they come to terms with their loss. That might mean me meeting with you, to provide a "a listening ear" or, more commonly, it might mean me acting as a "signpost" to other types of support and help that are available to you in your local community: perhaps something as simple as putting you in touch with social clubs/activities to help you "get out and about again", or it might be professional grief support and counselling.