Faced with the death of someone we love, each of us will mourn that individual in different ways. While some will turn inward to cope with this loss and do not want or need others, many will look outward and find comfort in sharing the pain, anger, depression and other emotions associated with death with others.
For the latter, grief support and recovery groups -- whether conducted in-person, online or both -- can help them heal from the hurt caused by the forever-loss of death.
Below is a list of organizations that offer nationwide grief support and recovery services, information and other resources to help the bereaved. Because many of these organizations specialize in the grief associated with a particular type of circumstance, the list is arranged alphabetically by the type of loss. (The "General Loss" category offers listings that you might find helpful regardless of the cause of death.)
This list is not comprehensive. The organizations shown below appear here because they offer grief support and recovery services, information and other resources to people regardless of geographic location. Therefore, you should also search for grief support and recovery groups in your community. These meetings are often held in churches, community centers, hospitals and healthcare clinics, funeral homes, school gymnasiums and other gathering spaces. If you cannot locate information about a grief support and recovery group in your community online, then you should contact a funeral home in your community for suggestions.
Please help keep this list accurate. Every listing/URL is accurate as of the date next to the title above but, unfortunately, Internet links change often. If you encounter a bad URL, please send that link via email to dying@aboutguide.com. If you have a group you'd like to suggest, please send an email to the same address.
Addiction Loss
• GRASP (Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing), http://grasphelp.org
Aircraft Loss
• ACCESS (AirCraft Casualty Emotional Support Services), http://www.accesshelp.org
Child/Grandchild Loss
• Bereaved Parents of the USA, http://www.bereavedparentsusa.org
• Compassionate Friends, The, http://www.compassionatefriends.org
• COPE (Connecting Our Paths Eternally) Foundation, The, http://www.copefoundation.org
• Grieving.com, http://forums.grieving.com
• MISS Foundation, The, http://www.missfoundation.org
• Webhealing.com, http://webhealing.com/forums
Firefighter Loss
• National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, http://www.firehero.org
General Loss
• AARP, http://www.aarp.org/relationships/grief-loss
• About.com Death & Dying Forum, http://forums.about.com/ab-dying
• Dougy Center, The, http://www.dougy.org
• GriefNet.org, http://www.griefnet.org
• GriefShare, http://www.griefshare.org
• Grieving.com, http://forums.grieving.com
• Light Beyond, The, http://www.thelightbeyond.com
• National Alliance for Grieving Children, http://childrengrieve.org
• National Students of AMF (Actively Moving Forward; for college students), http://www.studentsofamf.org
• New York Life Foundation, The, http://www.newyorklife.com/achildingrief
• Open to Hope, http://www.opentohope.com
• Rainbows, http://www.rainbows.org/index.asp
Law-enforcement Loss
• C.O.P.S. (Concerns Of Police Survivors), http://www.nationalcops.org
Military/Armed Services Loss
• T.A.P.S. (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors), http://www.taps.org
Miscarriage/Pregnancy/SIDS/Stillbirth Loss
• Baby Center, http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a15155/miscarriage_stillbirth_infant_loss_support
• BabySteps, http://www.babysteps.com
• CJ Foundation for SIDS, http://www.cjsids.org
• First Candle, http://www.firstcandle.org
• Grieve Out Loud, http://grieveoutloud.org
• Hand to Hold, http://handtohold.org
• Healing Hearts, http://www.babylosscomfort.com
• Hygeia Foundation, http://hygeiafoundation.org
• Missing GRACE Foundation, http://www.missinggrace.org
• Naomi's Circle, http://www.naomiscircle.org/index.html
• Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support, http://www.nationalshare.org
• Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Program, http://www.sudc.org
Murder Loss
• Parents of Murdered Children, http://www.pomc.com/index.html
Parent Loss
• Camp Erin (for children), http://www.moyerfoundation.org/programs/CampErin.aspx
• Grieving.com, http://forums.grieving.com
• Webhealing.com, http://webhealing.com/forums
Pet Loss
• APLB (Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement), http://aplb.org
• Grieving.com, http://forums.grieving.com
• Pet Loss Grief Support, http://www.petloss.com
• Pet Partners, https://www.petpartners.org
Sibling Loss
• Bereaved Parents of the USA, http://www.bereavedparentsusa.org
• Compassionate Friends, The, http://www.compassionatefriends.org
• Grieving.com, http://forums.grieving.com
• Twinless Twins Support Group, http://www.twinlesstwins.org
• Webhealing.com, http://webhealing.com/forums
Spouse/Partner Loss
• Beginning Experience, http://www.beginningexperience.org
• Grieving.com, http://forums.grieving.com
• National Widower's Organization, http://www.nationalwidowers.org
• Parents Without Partners, http://www.parentswithoutpartners.org
• Single Fathers Due to Cancer, http://www.singlefathersduetocancer.org
• Webhealing.com, http://webhealing.com/forums
Suicide Loss
• American Association of Suicidology, http://www.suicidology.org
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, http://www.afsp.org
• Grieving.com, http://forums.grieving.com
• HEARTBEAT, http://heartbeatsurvivorsaftersuicide.org/index.shtml
• S.A.V.E. (Suicide Awareness Voices of Education), http://www.save.org
• SiblingSurvivors.com, http://siblingsurvivors.com
• Webhealing.com, http://webhealing.com/forums
