dealing with grief, loss and trauma

Coping with grief can be complicated and lonely. We're here to help you navigate grief and support those around you.

Grief is a universal emotion that everyone experiences at some point in their life. While it’s most commonly associated with the death of someone we know, it can also come from traumatic events, when our personal safety is threatened, when our belief system is challenged, or when something happens outside of our control.

There’s no one way to grieve. It affects everyone differently, and it takes everyone a different amount of time.

Common symptoms include depression, anger, insomnia, muscle aches and pains, and headaches. You may experience these all at once, or at different points in your grieving process.

In this section, you’ll find advice on how to navigate grief, come out stronger, and support those around you who may be grieving themselves.

Man sitting on bed looking sad

what is grief and how does it affect us?

Grief doesn’t just come from the death of someone you know. Intangible or ambiguous losses can affect us just as much. Let’s take a deeper dive into what grief is and how you may experience it.

Woman looking out of window looking sad

how to cope with grief and sorrow

It’s not always easy to let go of feelings of grief or sorrow. In this post, we’ll explore how you can cope with feelings of grief and sorrow, and move forwards, without lessening your experience.

Two pairs of hands that are embraced

coping with traumatic events

Traumatic events affect everyone differently. And sometimes, it doesn’t have to be one big event, it can be a series. Here are some tips to help you move forwards, whatever traumatic event you’ve experienced.

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your questions answered 

Who is eligible for support?

We support past and present members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales (ICAEW), ACA students, ICAEW staff members, and the family and carers of members and students. 

  1. No matter where your career takes you, past and present members of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England Wales (ICAEW) are eligible for caba’s services for life, even if you change your career and leave accountancy 
  2. ACA students (ICAEW Provisional Members) who are either an active student or have been an active student within the last three years are eligible for caba's services 
  3. Past and present staff members of the ICAEW or caba are eligible for caba's services for life, even if you leave either organisation. Please note, for former employees, our financial support is only available to those who have had five years continuous employment with either organisation 
  4. Family members and carers of either an eligible past or present ICAEW member, ACA student or past or present employee of the ICAEW or caba are eligible for caba's support. We define a family member as a: 
    1. spouse, civil partner or cohabiting partner 
    2. widow, widower or surviving civil partner who has not remarried or cohabiting with a partner 
    3. divorced spouse or civil partner who has not remarried or cohabiting with a partner 
    4. child aged up to 25. Please note, children aged between 16 and 25 are not eligible for individual financial support 
    5. any other person who is dependent on the eligible individual supporting them financially or are reliant on the eligible individual’s care 
    6. any other person on whom the eligible individual is reliant, either financially or for care 

You can find out more about our available support both in the UK and around the world on our support we offer page and by using our interactive eligibility tool

Are your services means-tested?

If you need financial support, we carry out a means test where we consider income, expenditure, capital and assets.  

*Please note none of our other services are means-tested. 

I’m an accountant, but not a member of ICAEW, can you still help?

Unfortunately not. We only support past and present ICAEW members, their carers and their families. If we are unable to support you, where possible we will point you to help elsewhere.

caba has supported me in the past; can I receive support from caba again?

We understand that circumstances change. If we’ve helped you in the past there’s no reason why we can’t help you again. You can contact us at any time. Please call us if you need our help.

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