A Guide to Grief Support Resources

How Grief Affects People Throughout Their Lives

Grief is a natural process for responding to a significant loss, but this process looks different for everyone who experiences it.

Everyone is likely to experience grief at different points in life, and many of us will experience periods of grief more than once.

People may experience grief throughout many stages of life:

• Young adults and adolescents may experience grief from situations like bullying or the loss of a parent or grandparent.
• Adults may experience grief from events like the loss of a job, a divorce, or the death of a spouse or parent.
• Older adults may experience grief from losing friends to illness, experiencing physical or mental changes associated with aging, or even as they face the end of their own lives.
• Caregivers of any age can experience grief when the person they are caring for dies, especially if that person is their family member.

The Process of Healing From Grief

It’s important to remember that everyone grieves in their own way. However, despite how unique the grieving process is for each individual, there are usually certain patterns in grief that people go through.

Phases of Grief

Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross in her 1969 book On Death and Dying wrote about the emotions experienced by people with terminal illnesses coming to terms with their own deaths.

Today, these phases are often used to describe the different feelings of grief that a person experiences after the loss of a loved one, or any kind of loss for that matter.

While Dr. Kubler-Ross referred to these phases as “the five stages of grief,” she stressed that they are merely categories that can overlap, occur together, or even be skipped.

These five phases are:

1. Denial: People have difficulty believing that their loved one is gone and adjusting to their new reality.
2. Anger: Anger from the loss can be directed at anyone — yourself, God, even your loved one for dying — or it can be directed at people or life in general. People may blame others for the loss they have experienced.
3. Bargaining: People spend time thinking about how things might have happened differently. They may even bargain with a higher power to do better in an effort to get their loved one back.
4. Depression: A person may exhibit both physical and mental symptoms of depression, such as feelings of sadness or hopelessness and changes in appetite or sleeping habits.
5. Acceptance: People have accepted their loss as something that happened and that they can still feel sad about. However, this sadness no longer controls or overwhelms their state of mind or being.

It may be helpful to think of grief as a wave of emotions that can surface at different times and be repeated due to memories or other circumstances.

Types of Grief

There are also several types of grief people may experience.

Every type of grief is unique in its onset and impact:

• Abrupt grief comes on suddenly, such as after the unexpected death of a loved one or the sudden loss of a job.
• Absent grief occurs when a person becomes numb to a loss or acts and thinks about it in a dissociated way.
• Anticipatory grief is experienced before an expected loss, such as when a loved one is terminally ill but has not yet passed away.
• Collective grief is experienced by a group of people over a single or shared loss.
• Complicated grief, also known as prolonged grief, carries into the long-term future and can significantly impact daily life and functioning.
• Delayed grief develops gradually over time as a person accepts the reality of their loss.

No matter the type of grief a person is experiencing, recognizing the signs and getting grief support when needed is crucial, as a person’s grief can interfere with their everyday activities.

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms after a loss, consider getting help from a mental health professional.

Grief Counseling Options

It’s not always possible to erase a person’s grief completely, but there are different types of counseling that can help people process their grief and heal in ways that are manageable.

Grief Counseling

Grief counseling is a specific type of therapy designed to help people who are dealing with a significant loss in their life, such as the death of a loved one.

This type of counseling can guide people through grief and teach them healthy and safe coping mechanisms.

Bereavement Therapy

Bereavement therapy is very similar to grief counseling and comes in multiple formats, including individual, family, and group therapy sessions.

Psychotherapy (talk therapy) and behavioral therapy are just two of the many approaches that can be incorporated into bereavement therapy, which lasts as long as a patient needs.

Online Support for People Coping With Grief

There are many grief support resources that people can access over the internet to help them deal with their feelings of sadness and loss.

These support options are often more convenient and accessible, as they allow people around the country to get help from the comfort of their homes.

Online grief resources include:

• Grief.com: This site offers free resources to people living with grief, including an online directory of therapists and grief counselors.
• Sue Ryder Online Bereavement Community: This website offers forums to help with grief management. Members can ask questions, seek advice, and share their own stories.
• GriefinCommon.com: This site offers support for those experiencing all types of loss via online support groups and one-on-one sessions.

6 Tips for Providing a Loved One With Grief Help

When a loved one is coping with grief, you may be able to help provide them with the support they need. Keep in mind that everyone deals with grief differently, so you may need to adjust your approach depending on your loved one’s behaviors and reactions.

Here are 6 tips for helping a loved one cope with grief:

1. Do not avoid them, as this can make them feel hurt and insecure about how they are processing their grief.
2. Listen to them without judgment and allow them to fully express their feelings.
3. Try to keep a positive outlook, but do not shut out or ignore the negative aspects of their loss.
4. Help them with errands, housework, meal preparation, cleaning, or any basic activities they are having trouble managing.
5. Encourage them to talk about their feelings and honor their loved one as much as they want to.
6. Don’t wait to hear from them before you reach out, and be sure to check in on them regularly.

Grief Support Resources for All Types of Loss

While there are many grief support resources available to help those who have suffered a loss, it can be beneficial to find support that is more specific to you as a person and the type of loss you’ve experienced.

There are many grief support resources tailored to different situations.

Loss of a Child

The death of a child is something that every parent fears and that no parent should ever have to go through.

When a child dies, it truly affects all who knew them. Those who find themselves in this position will likely need immense support from the people around them.

Resources for the loss of a child include:

• Bereaved Parents of the USA: In addition to providing access to local grief support groups for parents and families, this organization also offers resources to those who have lost siblings and to grandparents who have lost grandchildren.
• Just Enduring: This nonprofit group offers a variety of resources for parents, friends and family members, and caregivers. It includes a one-on-one mentorship program that connects grieving parents to others who have experienced this type of loss.
• The Compassionate Friends: This organization offers more than 600 chapters across all 50 states and includes both online and in-person support groups for parents, grandparents, and siblings.

Loss of an Elderly Loved One

One of the most common losses that people will face in their lives is that of elderly loved ones, such as grandparents or their own parents.

Resources for people who have lost an elderly loved one include:

• HealGrief: This organization offers one-on-one support services, online group support, and an app to help connect grieving individuals to others based on their age and the type of grief they are experiencing.
• Hospice care: Grief and bereavement counseling is often offered to family members who have a loved one receiving hospice or palliative care.
• Local organizations: You may also be able to find grief counseling through a local church, synagogue, or hospital.

Men Facing a Loss

While the grief resources for men who have experienced a loss are somewhat limited, there are options available for those seeking support.

For example, Men’s Grief Network, as an extension of the National Widowers’ Organization, offers support and resources to men who are experiencing any type of significant loss in their lives.

You may also be able to find local support groups for men near you by searching online.

Women Facing a Loss

Because men and women tend to process grief differently, it can be beneficial for women to have their own separate support resources.

Resources for women facing a loss include:

• Lifeway Women: This organization assists women who are experiencing grief through an approach that is both spiritual and supportive.
• March of Dimes: This organization provides many services, one of which is to provide resources and support to women who have experienced a miscarriage or any type of pregnancy loss. They also provide resources to help when a child is born with a birth injury.
• Sacred Sorrows: This support organization was created specifically to help grieving mothers and grandmothers after the loss of a child or grandchild. It offers a variety of services and in-person retreat options.

Caregivers Facing Loss

Caregivers can face extra challenges when dealing with loss, as they are trying to cope with the loss themselves while guiding others through their own experience.

Grief support resources for caregivers:

• American Association of Retired Persons (AARP): This organization has resources for both seniors and their caregivers, including information for family caregivers who are experiencing grief.
• Courage to Caregivers: In addition to providing educational resources to caregivers, this nonprofit organization also offers one-on-one caregiver peer support, group coaching support groups, and breathing meditation classes.
• Family Caregiver Alliance: This organization provides a variety of resources to caregivers, including educational resources on how to cope with loss.

Grieving Veterans

It is not uncommon for veterans to experience grief, especially after having lost friends or other loved ones during their service or after returning to civilian life.

Many of the resources available to veterans for grief also focus on suicide loss and suicide prevention.

Grief support resources for veterans include:

• Military One Source: This organization offers short-term nonmedical counseling to service members, veterans, their family members, and surviving loved ones for a variety of situations.
• VA Bereavement Counseling: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers bereavement counseling services to veterans or their eligible surviving family members at their Vet Centers located across the U.S.
• Veterans Crisis Line: This 24/7 free and confidential grief hotline is open to veterans and their loved ones any time they are in crisis or experiencing emotional distress.

Widows and Widowers

The loss of a spouse is a devastating experience, no matter how far along into the marriage journey the loss takes place.

Grief support resources for widows and widowers include:

• Hope for Widows Foundation: In addition to providing grief support workshops and support groups to widows, this foundation also provides financial support to widows through grants and donations.
• National Widowers’ Organization: This organization provides valuable information to widowers, connects them to online or in-person grief support groups, and even guides them through creating their own support group.
• Walk With a Widow: This organization provides resources and support to both widows and their friends and family members and takes a spiritual approach to healing from loss.