Grief support organizations
Real places to land, by phone, by chat, in a circle, on a screen. Organized by the loss you are carrying. No book recommendations on this page (those live here). My own free tools are gathered in the Emotional Healing Kit.
By the loss you are carrying
Nonprofits and peer-support communities organized by the kind of loss they hold. Most offer free support groups, virtual and in-person.
Loss of a parent
Adoption & relinquishment
Loss of a spouse or partner
Nonprofit & community
Widowed peer support, regional chapters, Camp Widow, online groups for widows and widowers of any orientation, age, or cause of death.
Visit →Nonprofit
Chapters across the U.S., peer-led monthly meetings and an online community for widowed women.
Visit →Community
Nora McInerny's community for widowed people too young to be widows. Honest, funny, no platitudes allowed.
Visit →Loss of a child
There is a separate, dedicated page for this loss, combining the people, organizations, and books all in one place. Visit the child loss resources page →
Nonprofit & chapters
The largest peer-support organization for bereaved parents, siblings, and grandparents. Chapters in every U.S. state.
Visit →Nonprofit
Founded by Joanne Cacciatore. For families grieving the death of a child of any age, with research-grounded support.
Visit →Directory
Directory of grief programs and camps for children, families, and grieving siblings across the U.S.
Visit →Hotline & support
For families grieving SIDS, stillbirth, and infant loss. 24/7 grief support hotline at 1-800-221-7437.
Visit →Free remembrance photography
Volunteer photographers offer free remembrance portraits to families experiencing stillbirth or infant loss.
Visit →Support groups
In-person and virtual support groups for families after miscarriage, stillbirth, and early infant death.
Visit →Therapist & bereaved mother · Los Angeles
A licensed therapist and author whose son Sammy died of a fentanyl-laced pill in 2021. Her grief offering speaks directly to bereaved parents in the after.
Visit →Sibling loss
Nonprofit & community
For surviving twins of any age, after the loss of a twin or multiple. Conferences, peer matches, regional events.
Visit →For young adults
A national network for young adult grievers, including those who lost a sibling. Local chapters and online groups.
Visit →Loss to suicide
Nonprofit & support groups
Survivor Day events, support group finder, Healing Conversations one-on-one support from trained suicide-loss survivors.
Visit →Online community
Moderated 24/7 online support forum specifically for those who have lost a loved one to suicide.
Visit →Peer-led groups
Peer-led support groups around the country, founded by a suicide-loss survivor in 1980.
Visit →Gun violence & homicide loss
Angela lost her father to gun violence in 1988. There is a separate, deeper page dedicated to gun violence survivors with her personal note and the Giffords toolkit she helped create. Visit the gun violence survivors page →
Survivor-founded nonprofit
Sandy and Lonnie Phillips founded this after their daughter was killed at Aurora. Rapid Response teams that show up for the newly bereaved, anywhere in the U.S. Co-created the Giffords survivor toolkit Angela contributed to.
Visit →Advocacy & resources
Founded by Gabrielle Giffords after she survived being shot in 2011. Beyond the policy work, they publish resources for survivors and support a national community. Angela contributed to their survivor toolkit.
Visit →Victim assistance
Crisis response and resources for survivors of violent crime, including homicide-loss families.
Visit →Hotline
National peer-support nonprofit for family members of homicide victims. Support groups in every U.S. region.
Visit →Loss to addiction or overdose
Support & resources
Peer support and resources for families and loved ones grieving an overdose death. Online groups and individual support.
Visit →Community
In-person and virtual support groups specifically for those grieving a loss to substance use.
Visit →Military loss
For grieving children & teens
Grief centers, camps, and programs built specifically for children, teens, and their caregivers.
Nonprofit & resources
The leading children's grief center in the U.S. Free peer-support groups in Portland, OR; resources and trained-provider directory for everyone else.
Visit →Free grief camp
Free weekend grief camp for kids ages 6–17 who have lost a loved one. The largest network of children's bereavement camps in the U.S.
Visit →Free grief camp
Free one-week summer camp for grieving kids, pairs traditional camp with grief programming. Multiple locations.
Visit →Free grief camp
Free weekend bereavement camps for children ages 7–17 around the U.S. Year-round programs alongside.
Visit →Free grief camp
Free week-long camp for kids who have lost a family member to suicide. Year-round community for camper alumni.
Visit →Free grief camp
Free weekend programs for the children of fallen military service members, paired with a Military Mentor.
Visit →Communities & online support
For when you cannot get to an in-person group, or you want company at 2 a.m.
Free · from Angela
My own free community. Circles organized by the loss you are carrying, mother loss, father loss, child loss, pet loss, and more.
Join →Online magazine & community
Rebecca Soffer's community for candid conversations about grief, especially for grievers in their twenties to fifties.
Visit →Online classes & writing
Megan Devine's home for Writing Your Grief courses, articles, and a podcast. The original anti-platitude grief space.
Visit →Peer-led tables
For 20s and 30s grievers. Small peer-led dinner groups in cities across the country and online.
Visit →Educational
Eleanor Haley and Litsa Williams' deeply written grief blog. Reliable, evidence-informed, accessible.
Visit →Online community
Memorial pages and online support; also runs Actively Moving Forward (AMF) for young adult grievers.
Visit →Articles & podcast
Dr. Gloria Horsley's longtime grief-resource site, with personal essays from bereaved people across the spectrum of loss.
Visit →In-person groups
Faith-based 13-week grief groups, hosted at churches across the U.S. and Canada. Find a group near you.
Visit →For pet loss
Hotlines and communities that take pet loss seriously.
Nonprofit, chat support
Free online grief chat groups, articles, and a directory of pet-loss counselors. The leading nonprofit in this space.
Visit →Support & education
The in-home pet hospice and euthanasia network also offers grief articles, an online community, and access to pet-loss professionals.
Visit →Hotline
Free phone support for grieving pet owners: 1-877-474-3310. Articles on memorializing your pet and helping children cope.
Visit →Veterinary hotline
Free phone support at 607-218-7457, staffed by veterinary students trained by professional grief counselors. Hours vary seasonally, and you can stay anonymous when you call.
Visit →End-of-life planning
Death doulas, planning platforms, and conversation guides for the work of dying well.
Death doula training & support
Alua Arthur's organization for end-of-life support, death doula training, planning resources, and her remarkable presence.
Visit →Planning platform
Free end-of-life planning tools, wishes, paperwork, what to do when someone dies. Useful for anyone, whatever your relationship to death.
Visit →Annual conference
A movement to make end of life a human experience, not a medical one. Annual conference plus a rich archive of talks.
Visit →Conversation guide
Michael Hebb's framework for having the most important conversation we never have. Builds you a custom dinner-conversation script.
Visit →Palliative consultations
BJ Miller's clinic, palliative-care consultations for people living with serious illness, and the people who love them.
Visit →Resources & education
A starting place for understanding hospice care, finding a hospice, and supporting a grieving family member.
Visit →A separate page lists the grief books I most often put in people's hands, organized the same way, by the loss you are carrying.
Grief Books by Loss →Take this with you
Why Grief Keeps Coming Back is my free guide on why loss resurfaces long after everyone else thinks you should be done, and why that is not you going backward. Leave your name and email and I will send it.