Grief Training for Financial Services
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The Financial Conduct Authority is reviewing how investment firms support bereaved customers - from the first notification of a death through to settlement.
But that's not why you should learn about grief.
The real reason sits in conversations that happen every day in your office. A client calls about their portfolio, but within the first few sentences, you realise they're not really there. They're somewhere else entirely. Someone they love has just died, or they've lost their job, or they've had a diagnosis that changes everything. And suddenly the conversation shifts. They can't remember what you said five minutes ago. They apologise for crying. They ask the same question twice.
In that moment, knowing what to do - actually knowing, not just guessing - changes everything for them. The way you listen, the words you choose, whether you slow down or push forward - it all shapes how safe they feel, whether they trust you, whether they can actually think clearly enough to make a decision.
Fewer than half of bereaved customers said they received the support they needed from financial firms. You can change that for the people you work with.
In that moment, knowing what to do - actually knowing, not just guessing - changes everything for them. The way you listen, the words you choose, whether you slow down or push forward - it all shapes how safe they feel, whether they trust you, whether they can actually think clearly enough to make a decision.
Fewer than half of bereaved customers said they received the support they needed from financial firms. You can change that for the people you work with.
Training built around the work you actually do.
Grief doesn’t look the same in every financial setting. The conversations faced by a financial adviser are different from those faced by a wealth manager, mortgage lender, insurer, pension provider or probate team.
So we don’t take generic grief training, change a few examples and put your logo on the front. We build training around the conversations your people actually have.
That starts with understanding your world properly. Who are your clients? At what point do they come to you? What decisions are they being asked to make? Where do conversations become difficult, processes break down or staff feel unsure of what to say?
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When life becomes complicated, the quality of the conversation can determine whether a client continues to trust you.
One in five UK adults is neurodivergent. Most advisers have no framework for understanding what that changes.
That’s not a criticism. It’s a gap - and one that can turn an already difficult financial conversation into an unnecessarily confusing or distressing experience.
A client may need more time to process information, struggle to prioritise several competing decisions, become overwhelmed by ambiguity, or need information presented in a more concrete and structured way. Add grief to that, with its effects on memory, concentration and decision-making, and even a routine conversation can become much harder to navigate.
Your sector trains people in regulation, products, and process. But regulation, products and process are only part of the job.
That’s not a criticism. It’s a gap - and one that can turn an already difficult financial conversation into an unnecessarily confusing or distressing experience.
A client may need more time to process information, struggle to prioritise several competing decisions, become overwhelmed by ambiguity, or need information presented in a more concrete and structured way. Add grief to that, with its effects on memory, concentration and decision-making, and even a routine conversation can become much harder to navigate.
Your sector trains people in regulation, products, and process. But regulation, products and process are only part of the job.
You've probably already encountered it.
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Grief changes how people process information and make decisions.
A bereaved client may look composed and still be struggling to retain information, weigh up options or recognise the implications of a decision. They may need you to slow down, repeat yourself, provide clear written information or postpone choices that don’t need to be made immediately.
Our foundational course, Grief Guides: Practical Skills for Supporting Grief and Loss, helps professionals understand what grief does emotionally, physically and cognitively—and translate that understanding into better conversations.
The Grief Map gives your team a practical framework they can use before, during or after a difficult client conversation. It helps them recognise what may be affecting the person’s concentration, memory, behaviour and ability to process information, so they can adapt without becoming patronising or making assumptions about capacity.
Elephants In Rooms Ltd. Studio Suite L Market Hall, Market Place Chesterfield, S40 1AR.
Phone number: +44 7593 790399
Phone number: +44 7593 790399
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