International
The Danish National Centre for Grief
The Danish National Centre for Grief (DNCG) is an independent, not-for-profit organisation built around a clear vision: Grief should never ruin a life. We bring specialised treatment, research, education, volunteer-based support, knowledge dissemination, advocacy and international collaboration together under one roof.
Appointed by the Danish Health Authority, DNCG works to strengthen knowledge about grief and ensure access to evidence-based support and treatment. Across Denmark, we provide specialised grief therapy to people of all ages and families, as well as support for children and young carers living with serious illness in their families. Alongside our clinical work, we train professionals across sectors, collaborate with universities and research institutions, and coordinate volunteer-based peer support through grief groups, helplines, cafés and other services.
We also work to create a more open and supportive grief culture in Denmark, where grief is recognised as a natural part of life and people experiencing loss are met with understanding and support in their families, communities, workplaces and across society.
DNCG initiated Sorgalliancen (the Danish Grief Alliance), bringing organisations and stakeholders together to advance grief as a shared societal agenda.
International collaboration is an integral part of our work. In Greenland, we partner with the Government of Greenland, educational institutions and municipalities to strengthen bereavement support, professional capacity and specialised grief care. We also collaborate with partners across Europe and internationally to advance bereavement care and knowledge.
DNCG is the administrative host of Bereavement Network Europe and a founding partner of the European Grief Conference, having hosted the inaugural EGC in Copenhagen in 2022.
Learn more: https://sorgcenter.dk/
International Cooperation
Grief is a universal human experience, but the ways in which it is understood and supported are shaped by different cultures, communities and national contexts. At the Danish National Center for Grief, our vision that grief should not destroy life extends beyond national borders.
We co-develop, share and apply knowledge in partnership with organisations, institutions and communities to improve support for bereaved people. Our international partnerships and initiatives combine the development of bereavement services, capacity building, education, public awareness, advocacy and research. We also work to foster a more open, compassionate and vibrant culture of grief – one in which death and grief can be spoken about openly and supporting bereaved people is recognised as a shared societal responsibility. Across all our activities, we aim to develop approaches that are collaborative, cohesive and culturally grounded.
Building cohesive bereavement support in Greenland
One of our most extensive international initiatives is our long-term collaboration to build a cohesive, sustainable and locally anchored bereavement response in Greenland.
Together with Greenlandic partners, we are developing an approach that connects different levels of support: public awareness and accessible community-based and peer support; education and capacity building for professionals; and specialised grief therapy for people with more complex needs. There is a particular focus on strengthening support for children, young people and young adults.
The work is developed in close partnership with Greenlandic organisations and professionals and is adapted to Greenlandic language, culture, geography and existing structures. An important ambition is to build lasting local knowledge and capacity so that bereavement support can become an integral part of existing services and communities.
The programme is made possible through close cooperation with Naalakkersuisut – the Government of Greenland – national institutions, municipalities and civil society, as well as through political and financial support from the Danish Parliament and Danish private foundations.
Read more about the development of bereavement support in Greenland (in Danish)
European collaboration and knowledge exchange
The idea for a European grief conference was first proposed by the Danish National Center for Grief to Bereavement Network Europe in 2019. The European Grief Conference was subsequently developed in partnership with Bereavement Network Europe and the Irish Hospice Foundation, with Aarhus University as its scientific partner.
The Danish National Center for Grief served as the first national host when the EGC was launched in Copenhagen in 2022. The inaugural conference brought together 250 participants from Europe and beyond, confirming the strong international demand for a dedicated conference focused on loss, grief and bereavement.
Today, the European Grief Conference brings together researchers, practitioners and educators from across Europe and beyond to share knowledge and strengthen collaboration. It promotes an evidence-based, needs-based model of bereavement care, represented by the Grief and Bereavement Support Pyramid. This model encompasses public awareness and grief literacy, community and peer support, targeted bereavement support and specialised treatment for complex grief reactions.
Visit the European Grief Conference
The Danish National Center for Grief also serves as the host organisation for Bereavement Network Europe. With a growing membership across Europe, BNE connects researchers, practitioners, educators, volunteers and organisations working to improve bereavement care. The network supports knowledge exchange, competence building, research collaboration and advocacy for greater political attention to grief and the needs of bereaved people.
Building knowledge and capacity after COVID-19
The Danish National Center for Grief participated in the Erasmus+ project AURORA, a European partnership focusing on death, loss and bereavement during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.
The project brought together universities, health services and bereavement specialists from Denmark, Portugal, Spain and Italy. Together, the partners developed training resources for clinical psychologists, frontline professionals and informal support providers, as well as guidelines for good practice in bereavement support. The project demonstrated the value of combining expertise across countries and adapting knowledge to different cultural and professional contexts.
Research across disciplines and borders
The Danish National Center for Grief contributes to an international and interdisciplinary research environment dedicated to improving our understanding of loss and bereavement. Our researchers explore grief and prolonged grief disorder, anticipatory grief, the existential dimensions of loss and the ways in which grief is understood and expressed within different cultures and societies.
Research is closely connected to our clinical practice, education, public engagement and international partnerships. This allows new knowledge to inform practice – and experiences from practice to generate new and relevant research questions.
Explore our research and knowledge (in Danish)
Grønlandsk Sorglinje
(Greenlandic and English translation underway.)
Oak Foundation Denmark og Nordatlantisk Pulje støtter samarbejdsprojektet ”en grønlandsk sorglinje – udvikling, opstart og konsolidering af et peer-to-peer sorgstøttetilbud til grønlændere i Grønland og Danmark” i Det Nationale Sorgcenter i perioden 2021-2024.
Projektet har til formål at etablere en grønlandsk sorglinje – et frivilligledet og peer-to-peer sorgstøtte-tilbud til efterladte grønlandske borgere – inspireret af 20 års erfaring fra Sorglinjen i Danmark, tilpasset grønlandsk kultur og i tæt samarbejde med grønlandske partnere.
I et stort land med en lille befolkning, hvor alle har mistet og mange til selvmord, er peer-to-peer og frivilliges brug af egne erfaringer en ny tilgang til både at hjælpe andre og sig selv ved at tale om sorgen og finde ud af, at det hjælper at dele det svære med hinanden.
Projektets målgruppe er alle efterladte grønlandske borgere over 13 år, der har mistet familie eller venner til dødsfald.
Projektet bygger på fire principper:
– at det udføres i tæt samarbejde med grønlandske partnere
– at det understøtter eksisterende tilbud
– at det bidrager til opbygning af varig kapacitet,
– at det kan udbredes og bliver bæredygtigt
Sorglinjen forventes etableret i løbet af 2022.
En grønlandsk sorglinje er første skridt i realiseringen af anbefalingerne i rapporten ’Sorg i Grønland’, som Det Nationale Sorgcenter (DNS) udarbejdede og offentliggjorde i 2018 – 2019 i tæt samarbejde med Departementet for Sociale Anliggender og Arbejdsmarked og Styrelsen for Forebyggelse og Sociale Forhold i Grønland:
Sorg i Grønland. En undersøgelse af sorg og kortlægning af sorgaktører og tilbud. (Dansk)
Sorg i Grønland. En undersøgelse af sorg og kortlægning af sorgaktører og tilbud.(Grønlandsk)
Partner with us
We welcome collaboration with governments, public authorities, universities, research institutions, healthcare and social care organisations, foundations and civil society.
Whether the aim is to develop bereavement services, strengthen professional competencies, conduct research, raise public awareness or advocate for better support, we believe that lasting change is created through shared knowledge and genuine partnership.
Together, we can help ensure that bereaved people are recognised, supported and given the opportunity to live meaningful lives with their grief.
To learn more or discuss opportunities for partnership and collaboration, please contact Tina Graven Østergaard, Head of International Collaboration, at tgo@sorgcenter.dk.