Grief Support Programs

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross once famously defined the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. In the years leading up to her death, the author expressed that the stages were meant to be taken with a grain of salt. They are not neat, linear emotional stops that everyone passes through but simply a framework to work from. Every individual grieves differently, and to give support to the different grieving processes, several programs can help.

Local Church

• Even if you are not a regular churchgoer, church is where people turn to in times of grief. Besides the weekly Sunday services, many churches have grief support groups that provide a safe and peaceful environment for everyone to share their experience and grieve together. Speak to an administrator at the church or check out the bulletin board for more information on attending meetings.

Hospital and Hospice

• Palliative care units of a hospital or an affiliated hospice provide grief support services to families that are grieving. Many families spend a substantial amount of time at such facilities before having to say goodbye and find it comforting to receive support for their grief. Hospices and palliative care units provide literature, support groups and even memorial services to honor the deceased and to comfort the bereaved. For example, St. Joseph's hospital in Thunder Bay, Ontario provides multi-faith spiritual care for those who spend time in their hospice and palliative care unit and also holds a special Christmas service for grieving families in their chapel. The Midwest Palliative Care and Hospice Care Center in Glenview, Illinois holds grief support groups that are open to the community and free of charge.

  St. Joseph's Hospital (Corporate Office)

  35 Algoma St. North

  Thunder Bay, Ontario

  Canada, P7B 5G7

  011-807-343-2431

  sjcg.net

  Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter

  2050 Claire Ct.

  Glenview, Illinois 60025

  847-467-7423

  midwestpalliativeandhospicecarecenter.org

Grief Support Organizations

• The National Grief Support Services provides ample publications and articles on many different areas of grief, as well as counseling over the phone. Caring Connections, a program of the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO), gives support to caregivers as well as to the bereaved by providing helpful links, literature and answering frequently asked questions.

  National Grief Support Services

  99 Buckskin Rd.

  West Hills, CA 91307, USA

  818-347-8955

  Fax: [phone]

  griefsupportservices.org

  National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization (NHPCO)

  1731 King St., Suite 200

  Alexandria, VA 22314

  General NHF Information: 703-516-4928

  Donations: 877-470-6472

  Fax: [phone]

  nhpco.org

Books

• With grief coping, knowledge is power. Many people are unaware that severe grief is a condition that can paralyze daily life, past desires and even the will to live. It may be important to go to the bookstore to read more about grief itself in order to understand the complexities and causes of such emotions and thoughts. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler's "On Grief and Grieving," and John W. James' "The Grief Recovery Handbook: The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death, Divorce and Other Losses including Health," which in 2010 released its 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition, may be two helpful options.