Grief Resources

If you’re looking for a support group for adults, find a GriefShare group at a time and location that works for you.

Understanding Grief

Grief can be surprising, confusing and difficult to understand. If you or a loved one is grieving, these resources may help navigate the experience:

• Meditations on Grief and Time
• Normal Grief
• STUG (Sudden Temporary Upsurge of Grief)
• Letter to Family and Friends
• The Grieving Process: Coping with Death
• Grief and COVID-19: Mourning What We’re Missing
• Different Types of Grief
• Understanding Suicide
• Personal Support for Suicide Loss
• Beyond Grief: A Guide for Recovering from the Death of a Loved One – Carol Staudacher
• Getting Past What You’ll Never Get Over: Help for Dealing with Life’s Hurts – John F. Westfall
• The Grief Recovery Handbook, 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition: The Action Program for Moving Beyond Death, Divorce, and Other Losses including Health, Career, and Faith – John James

Comforting Poems, Quotes and Videos

In times of grief, it is sometimes helpful to turn to the words of others who have experienced grieving of their own – and to share them with others:

• “Turning Point”
• “I Don’t Know Why”
• “Falling Apart”
• “Grief Is Not Something to Overcome”
• Words to heal – quotes on Pinterest
• Poems on coping with anger
• YouTube Video: Guided Meditation for Accepting the Unacceptable 

Resources for Families After the Loss of a Child

If you or someone you know has experienced the death of a child, these resources provide support and networks to help cope with this very specific type of grief.

• Compassionate Friends
• The MISS Foundation
• Supporting Kidds – Our local partner providing care for other children who are grieving

Helping Others with Grief

A friend has experienced the death of a loved one. How can you help? The following resources provide many practical suggestions for helping others with grief:

• Helping a Friend in Grief
• Helping a Suicide Survivor Heal
• Helping a Grandparent Who Is Grieving
• Helping a Grieving Friend in the Workplace
• Helping Your Family When a Member is Dying
• How Do You Help a Grieving Friend

You can also send flowers to a friend or family member who is grieving.

Helping Yourself with Grief

Someone you love has died. You are now faced with the difficult, but important, need to mourn. Mourning is the open expression of your thoughts and feelings regarding the death and the person who died. It is an essential part of healing. The following articles provide many practical suggestions to help you move toward healing in your unique grief journey.

• Helping Yourself Heal When Someone Loved Dies
• Helping Yourself Heal When Your Child Dies
• Helping Yourself Heal When Your Spouse Dies
• Helping Yourself Heal When Your Parent Dies
• Helping Yourself Heal When a Baby Dies
• Helping Yourself Heal During the Holiday Season
• How to Deal With Unwanted Suggestions from Well-Meaning People
• Five Ways to Manage Your Grief and Loneliness
• Self Care: Meditation 101 – Daily Practice
• The Ed Lally Foundation

For and About Grieving Children and Teenagers

Children and teenagers have special needs following the death of a friend or family member.

Supporting Kidds & PAWS for People are local organizations that support children who are grieving.

 

The following resources provide wonderful insight in helping children and teens understand and express their grief:

• Helping Children Cope with Grief
• Helping Teenagers Cope with Grief
• Helping Infants and Toddlers Cope with Grief
• Helping Children with Funerals
• “It’s OK to be Sad” Grief Book Reading

Distinguishing Grief from Depression

Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish grief from depression. The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) reports that grief after loss of a loved one is a normal reaction to the loss and generally does not require professional mental health evaluation and treatment.

However, grief that is complicated and lasts for a very long time following a loss could lead to depression and may require treatment.

If you think you or a loved one might be depressed, seek evaluation and treatment from a mental health professional. You can find information about local mental health care providers on the State of Delaware website.

Learn more about depression from the National Institute of Mental Health.