Center For Loss: For people who are grieving and those who want to help them

Helping Others in Grief

Here at the Center for Loss, we believe that by being a companion to people who are grieving, you can help them on their journey to healing. What follows are some general guidelines.

Helping a Friend in Grief

Listening. Helping begins with your ability to be an active listener. Your physical presence and desire to listen without judgment are critical helping tools. Don't worry so much about what you'll say. Just concentrate on listening to the words that are being shared with you.

Having compassion. Give your friend permission to express his feelings without fear of criticism. Learn from your friend; don't instruct or set expectations about how he should respond. Never say, "I know how you feel." You don't. Think of yourself as someone who walks alongside-not behind or in front of-the one who is mourning.

Being there. Your ongoing and reliable presence is the most important gift you can give your grieving friend. While you can't take the pain away, you can enter into it through being there for him. Remain available in the weeks, months, and years to come. Remember that your friend may need you more later on than at the time of the death.

Books for bereavement caregivers

Books about grief and mourning

Training seminars to help others in grief

HEALING A FRIEND'S GRIEVING HEART

100 Practical Ideas for Helping Someone You Love Through Loss

When a friend suffers the loss of someone loved, you may not always know what to say. But you can do many helpful, loving things.

Compassionate and eminently practical, Healing A Friend's Grieving Heart offers 100 practical ideas for friends, family members and caregivers who want to help. Some of the ideas teach the fundamentals of grief and mourning, while others offer practical, day-to-day ways to help. And each idea's carpe diem will help you seize the day by supporting your friend right now...more