Grief Resources
Here are grief resources that you may find supportive during your grief journey. Always contact the supporting organization to confirm the dates, times, etc.
Grief Support Groups
-
Healing Circles Grief Support for Children and Teens – Lafayette
This group for kids ages 6-12 is a place for peer support, remembering those who have died, and talking about grief through art, play, and games. Adults meet separately from kids to discuss their experiences. Tru Community Care is generating interest for this group and currently building a waitlist. To pre-register, or for additional information, please call TRU Grief Services at (303) 604.5300.
Judi’s House
Judi’s House is a community-based nonprofit bereavement center for children and families with the vision that no child should be alone in grief. https://judishouse.org/
Heartlight Center - Loss of Parent Groups
The Heartlight Center offers two monthly peer support groups for people who have experienced the death of a parent, grandparent, or caregiver. https://heartlightcenter.org/colorado-grief-programs/#Grief-Support-Groups
-
A free open grief support group sponsored by Boulder Community Health and facilitated by a trained grief professional. The group meets on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month from 4-5pm. Registration is required. Contact grant@shareyourgrief.org
-
LOOM (Loved Ones of MAiD).
Weaving a Tapestry of Healing gathers monthly in person in Grand Junction. For more information, contact Ellen Friedman, M.A., at 602-809-9948 or ellen@healinghousecalls.com
Colorado MAiD Grief Support Group,
Hosted by Denver Health. An open, virtual grief support group specifically for people whose loved ones utilized the Colorado End of Life Options Act. This group meets monthly via Zoom. Please email Katie Sue to receive the monthly meeting date and Zoom link. Contact: maidprogram@dhha.org or 303-602-8044.
End of Life Choices, Bereavement Support for MAiD.
This private group will provide a safe, secure place to explore the very special issues that Medical Aid in Dying can bring up. We know this can be complex and challenging, and how helpful a bereavement group can be. In coordination with EOLCCA, this group is facilitated by Jim Reiser, LMFT, the Bereavement Coordinator of HNC. He holds a MFT from Chapman University and BA in psychology from CSUSM. He has been doing this caring work for 11 years. Each series will include, at minimum, four meetings on Tuesdays from 5 pm to 6:30 pm. Email Lynne Calkins at lcalkins@endoflifechoicesca.org for more information or to reserve your space in the next scheduled session. https://endoflifechoicesca.org/bereavement-group/
-
Heartlight Center Support Groups
Heartlight Center offers two ongoing peer support and educational group for bereaved parents, grandparents, caregivers, and adult siblings who have experienced the death of a child at any age and for any reason. https://heartlightcenter.org/colorado-grief-programs/#Grief-Support-Groups
Bereaved Parents Support Group (drop-in group) – Meets Hybrid
Provides a space for bereaved parents to gain support. Held on the third Wednesday of every month from 6:30-8:30 pm. Offered by Tru Community Care. (Suggested Donation: $10) Register here.
Compassionate Friends - For Bereaved Parents - Boulder
Compassionate Friends is a nationwide program for bereaved parents, facilitated by an experienced peer. Drop-in virtual meetings are held via Zoom on the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm. In person group meets on the third Thursday at Grace Commons, 1820 15th Street, Boulder Colorado 80302-5412. Please call (720) 588-0651 for more information. https://www.compassionatefriends.org/
Widowed Parent
The Widowed Parent project is committed to supporting widowed mothers and fathers with children in the home. https://widowedparent.org/
-
Widowed Senior Grief Support Group (drop-in group) – Meets via Zoom
For seniors who have experienced the death of a spouse or partner, held the 4th Wednesday of every month from 10 am – 12 pm. Offered by Tru Community Care. https://www.trucare.org/adult-grief-support-groups/
Spouse/Partner Loss Grief Support Group (drop-in group) – Meets Hybrid
For anyone who has experienced the death of a spouse or partner, held the third Tuesday of every month from 6-8 pm. Offered by Tru Community Care. https://www.trucare.org/adult-grief-support-groups/
First Year Spouse/Partner Grief Support Group (drop-in group) – Meets via Zoom
For spouses or partners whose loved one’s death has occurred within the past 12 months, held the 2nd Tuesday of every month from 6-8 pm. Offered by Tru Community Care. https://www.trucare.org/adult-grief-support-groups/
Heartlight Center Loss of Spouse Groups
The Heartlight Center offers several in person peer support groups for people who have experienced the death of a spouse throughout the metro Denver area. https://heartlightcenter.org/colorado-grief-programs/#Grief-Support-Groups
The W Connection
A community of widows helping widows rebuild their lives with new tools, strategies, understanding, and hope. https://widowsconnection.org/
National Widowers Organization
Offers support groups for widowers. https://nationalwidowers.org/
-
Education and support in a structured format. Groups last for a specified amount of time and are closed to new people after the first meeting.
Four-Week Bereavement Support Group – Denver
This is a four-week educational and participatory support group for adults ready to explore their loss more deeply, in a warm and supportive atmosphere. Group members should allow at least three months from their loss before participating in this group. Groups meet on four consecutive Tuesday nights from 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Participants are asked to join all sessions of the group. Registration by telephone is required, 303-321-2828.
Four-Week Newly Bereaved Support Program - Lafayette
Support, information, and networking for people who have experienced a recent death loss. The program is recommended for people who are 1-6 months out from the loss. This four-week program is offered by Tru Community Care and led by trained facilitators and has a one-time program fee of $20. This group meets on Thursday evenings from 6-8 pm and typically begins the first week of each month. https://www.trucare.org/adult-grief-support-groups/
Six Week Grief Therapy Group – Boulder
Structured in-person group for all kinds of loss by death. Meets weekly for six consecutive weeks on Tuesdays from 3:00pm to 4:30pm. Groups are offered by Boulder Community Health and meet at the Della Cava Family Medical Pavilion. Call the Boulder Community Health Outpatient Counseling Center at 303-415-4299 for more information and registration. Fees may be charged.
Eight-week Bereavement Support Group - Broomfield
Structured group for all kinds of loss by death. Please call Julie Thomas for information and/or registration at 720-325-2987. Group is held several times a year at the Broomfield Community Center.
Eight-Week Bereavement Support Program - Lafayette
Support, information, and networking for people who have experienced a death loss. This eight-week program is recommended for people who are at least 6 months or further from the loss. The group is offered by Tru Community Care and is led by trained facilitators and has a one-time program fee of $40. The group meets on Monday evenings from 6-8 pm, and sessions run for eight consecutive weeks. https://www.trucare.org/adult-grief-support-groups/
Eight-Week Bereavement Support Group - Longmont Senior Center
Structured eight week group meets twice a year for grief support from death. Group meets at the Longmont Senior Center (participants tend to be older). For more information, please all Brandy Queen (303-651-8414).
-
Sudden Loss Grief Support Group (drop-in group) – Meets via Zoom
This ongoing group, meeting the fourth Monday of each month from 6-8 pm, offers a safe, supportive space in which to navigate the specific challenges and conflicting emotions that accompany sudden loss. Offered by Tru Community Care. https://www.trucare.org/adult-grief-support-groups/
Heartbeat Survivor Support Group - Virtual
Virtual Survivor Support Group meetings take place from 7pm to 9pm on the 1st Wednesday of every month. All are welcome. There is never a fee. To join, complete form found at https://www.heartbeatsurvivorsaftersuicide.org/services.
Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group – In Person
In Person support group for adults who have had a loved one die by suicide. The group meets in Boulder from 4:30-6pm on the first, second, and third Wednesdays of each month. The group is free and led by experienced grief therapists. Registration is required. For more information and to register, please contact Grant Marylander at grant@shareyourgrief.org or Lea Abdnor at 303-547-8153.
Heartlight Center Suicide Loss Groups
Heartlight Center offers two peer support groups for people who have experienced suicide loss. Groups meet at Heartlight Center in Denver. https://heartlightcenter.org/colorado-grief-programs/#Grief-Support-Groups
-
Grief Walk – Boulder
Drop-in walking group for people who are grieving the death of a loved one and want to meet and walk together. Groups meet the last Saturday of every month between late April and October from 9:30am to 10:30am. Pets are welcome. Walks are held at Coot Lake- https://bouldercolorado.gov/locations/coot-lake 6247 N 63rd St, Longmont. No registration is required. For more information call 303-442-5683. Offered at no charge as a community service by Trailwinds Hospice.
Step by Step Hiking Group (drop-in group) – Meets In Person - Boulder
Support, exercise and a safe place for quiet reflection for anyone who has suffered a death loss. This group will resume May 2024 on Thursday mornings at a designated trailhead in South Boulder, weather permitting. To be notified of upcoming group announcements, please register. Offered by Tru Community Care. https://www.trucare.org/adult-grief-support-groups/
-
Writing Through Grief Support Program – Meets In Person
This group is offered periodically and will meet for five consecutive weeks. Loss and writing are both very personal experiences. This class provides the opportunity to blend the two in a safe, nonjudgmental setting. Through the use of weekly prompts, members will reflect on the provided writings as a group followed by time for their own individual written responses. Journaling is encouraged. No writing experience is needed. Writings will not be critiqued. Offered by Tru Community Care (Suggested Donation: $10). Register here.
-
Yoga After Loss Support Group (drop-in group) – Meets In Person - Lafayette
A support group for those who wish to explore grief through the practice of yoga, using breathwork, poses and meditation. This group is offered periodically and will meet in Lafayette as an ongoing group. Offering a body of yoga techniques, this group will provide the opportunity to consciously connect with and experience grief in a safe and supportive setting. No yoga experience needed. Offered by Tru Community Care. https://www.trucare.org/yoga-after-loss-grief-support-group/
Grief Support Network - Boulder
A nonprofit created by Wendy Stern Black after the death of her son. GSN offers “Awakening Through Grief: Yoga Therapy Program,” and other resources. There is usually a small fee included. For more information, go to: www.griefsupportnet.org, or 720-295-4760. “GSN is here to ‘wrap a loving community’s arms’ around you or someone you know who is grieving. Through GSN, you will find a variety of programs, tools, and resources to support you and access to a community that cares.”
Mindfulness Meditation Grief Support Group (drop-in) – Meets in Person
Learn to meet life’s challenges with greater equanimity, find moments of calm in the chaos, and discover the profound difference that present-moment awareness can make in your daily life. These 60-minute sessions include meditation instruction, guided practice, and discussion. No prior experience necessary. Offered ty Tru Community Care. https://www.trucare.org/adult-grief-support-groups/
Podcasts About Death and Dying
-
Podcast is about the people we lose, the people left behind, and how we can live on – with loss and with love. https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/all-there-is-with-anderson-cooper
-
Hour long TED podcast where five speakers explore the beauty of live and death. https://www.npr.org/programs/ted-radio-hour/645334275/dying-well
-
Podcast shines a light on what loss is really like with honesty, hope and humor. Hosts Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn are two mates who are authentic, truthful, a little bit sweary, and on a mission to help others feel less alone. https://goodmourning.com.au/grief-podcast/
-
A weekly interview podcast where media personalities share stories about loved ones they've lost. https://shows.acast.com/griefcast
-
Podcast by author Nora McInerny that lets real people get real honest about how they’re really doing. It’s sometimes sad, sometimes funny, and almost always both. https://ttfa.squarespace.com/
-
Our podcast aims to make death and dying something we can talk about openly without discomfort or fear. Presented by James Abbott, our award-winning show features James in conversation with a guest on a key topic related to the Art of Dying Well, taking in everything from being at the bedside of a dying loved one, to receiving a terminal diagnosis. Coping with grief, bereavement, death, dying, and much more are all under discussion. https://www.artofdyingwell.org/podcasts/
-
Podcast provides a leading new voice on grief covering everything from the practical (ex. how to talk to your parents about their wills; what to say to someone who is grieving; the cost of dying) to the emotional (ex. how to deal with grief on social media; how to bring up a loss while dating, how the grief process differs between a sudden and expected death; grief after losing mobility; how practitioners in the medical field felt grief during the pandemic). Interviewing guests such as innovators in funeral arrangements, spiritual leaders, therapists, authors and grievers themselves, Brooke has created a space she needed but could not find—one that respects profound loss and the practicality of needing to make decisions in heartbreak. https://www.thegriefcoach.co/
-
Eleanor Haley, MS and Litsa Williams, MA, LCSW-C, the mental health professionals behind the website and book 'What's Your Grief', leave no stone unturned in demystifying the complicated and messy world of living life after loss. https://whatsyourgrief.com/blog/?category=whats-your-grief-podcast
-
Where There's A Will, There's A Wake, Kathy Burke chats to the likes of Dawn French, James Acaster and Jamali Maddix asking them questions like 'how do you want to die?', 'where are you going next?' and of course, 'who gets your prized possessions? It's a hilarious, irreverent, dark and sometimes moving podcast where our guests will see their death brought to life as they plan their final day from dawn to dusk and into the afterlife. https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/where-theres-a-will-theres-a-wake/id1654059310
Books on Death, Dying, and Grief
Sitting with Grief: A Therapist's Guide to Being Present with Loss
This is the book I wrote. It is about staying with a person in loss and it is written for grieving people, for the people who love them, and for clinicians who sit with loss professionally. It covers what grief does to the body and the mind, why so much of the familiar advice misses, and what it means to build a life around a loss rather than past it.
It is free to download as a PDF or an EPUB, with no email required.
Journals, Workbooks, and Projects
-
This journal contains no clichés, timetables, or checklists of stages to get through; it won’t help you “move on” or put your loss behind you. Instead, you’ll find encouragement, self-care exercises, and daily tools to help you manage and explore your grief. Just as with It’s OK that You’re Not OK, this interactive journal has handy tools to help educate friends and family on how best to support you in your grief. https://refugeingrief.com/how-to-carry-what-cant-be-fixed/
-
Lessons to Write On is far more than a traditional grief journal. Rooted in our knowledge that grief is a non-linear experience that is unique to each person, this 165-page guide is designed to gain greater insight into your own losses and to provide you with the support and direction you need to stick with a journaling practice. https://whatsyourgrief.com/product/lessons-to-write-on-a-guided-grief-journaling-intensive-ebook-edition/
-
An interactive support group designed to help with the grieving process by using visual and thought-provoking tools. During these four sessions, the participants share their story, build memorials, compose letters, write in journals and develop goals with milestones. Designed for all types of losses, individuals and family members. https://heartlightcenter.org/facing-the-mourning/
-
Navigating the holiday season after a loss is overwhelming. The "Rewriting The Holidays After Loss" is a 30 page pdf workbook that offers therapeutic exercises and reflection prompts to help you plan for the holidays. From honoring your grief, coping with survivor guilt, and finding moments of comfort through the holidays, the workbook offers practical ways to balance grief and joy during the season. https://whatsyourgrief.com/product/rewriting-the-holidays-after-loss-eworkbook/