Grief & Loss Support

• Time Off for Funerals and Bereavement shows the policy information for non-exempt staff employees. Exempt employees use PTO for time off for funerals and bereavement. Academic appointees should review the Leaves for Academic Appointees policy.
• Policies related to leaves and accommodations for mental health can be found on the IU Workplace Mental Health webpage

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): SupportLinc 
  • Short-Term Counseling: SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides no-cost, confidential access to licensed counselors 24/7 who can provide short-term counseling to employees and their household members. You can receive up to six (6) face-to-face counseling sessions per presenting issue per year (in-person or virtual).  Learn more about EAP here.  

  • Critical Incident Response: The University Human Resources team can arrange a licensed mental health counselor for online or in-person support following a critical incident, such as natural disasters, accidents, death, or other trauma. Options include group sessions or individual drop-ins usually scheduled for 1-2 hours. Services can often be set up as soon as the next business day or at your preferred convenience. Contact AskHR@iu.edu if you would like to request this service.

  • Grief Virtual Connect Support Group: All Virtual Support Connect participation is completely anonymous and moderated live by experienced counselors and subject matter experts. Visit supportlinc.com or use the mobile app. Click on Create Account and enter the group code (iu). Then create your individual username and password. Find the Virtual Support Connect tile on the dashboard. Click to create an avatar and username. Select the Grief topic and click on the date and time that works for you to join.  
  • Expert Legal Consultation: free 30 minute in-person or telephonic consultation with a licensed attorney. Available Monday through Friday during standard business hours (typically between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.) For additional questions, call SupportLinc at 1.888.881.LINC (5462). 
  • Expert Financial Consultation: free telephonic consultation with an expert financial professional. Appointments available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. EST and typically last about an hour. For additional questions, call SupportLinc at 1.888.881.LINC (5462). 
  • Expert Work+Life Convenience Referral Services: available to help make your to-do list easier during your time of grief.  For additional questions, call SupportLinc at 1.888.881.LINC (5462).
• Marathon Health employee clinics offer IU employees and family members (age 12 and older) who are enrolled in an IU-sponsored medical plan access to mental/behavioral health appointments. Visits cost just $35 and are available virtually (nationwide) and in-person at select locations (including Bloomington and Indianapolis). Appointments can also be scheduled online or by phone at 866-434-3255. 
• Explore additional counseling options available to IU employees at the IU Workplace Mental Health website.
• General | O365-IU Grief Support Community | Microsoft Teams is intended to provide a supportive, compassionate, and caring environment for Indiana University employees who are grieving to connect with each other. Any IU employee is welcome to join and share tools, resources, and support to others through their grief journey. This group is not intended to be a form of counseling or a formal therapeutic support group. 
• IU Bloomington (in person) Grief Group - This is an informal monthly peer group open to all IU employees to create a safe space to connect with others on their grief journey and receive support within the IU community. To receive information on upcoming gatherings, reach out to Autumn Winfrey (alwinfre@iu.edu). Please Note: This is not a professionally facilitated support group or counseling service. 

• A Guide for IU Employees after the Death of a Loved One - This information is specifically for Indiana University employees who have lost a spouse, child, or beneficiary. It summarizes what to do to ensure your benefits are properly updated, explains where to get additional information, and how to obtain assistance.
• Guide for Survivors & Beneficiaries of IU Employees  - This information is specifically for surviving family members and beneficiaries of Indiana University employees and retirees. It summarizes benefits that may continue or transfer to survivors and explains where to get additional information and how to obtain assistance.

• A Guiding Hand: Navigating Logistics After Loss - Navigating necessary administrative and logistical tasks can feel overwhelming. We offer this initial checklist in the hope that it can provide a guiding hand and a bit of practical support as you attend to matters following the death of a close loved one.

IU Human Resources offers information about updating insurance, tax withholding, and beneficiary information for an applicable death within certain timeframes.  

Call (812) 856-1234 or email askhr@iu.edu to notify Human Resources of the death to inquire about insurance policy payouts and other benefits-related tasks. 

• When an Employee or Coworker is Grieving the Death of a Child (article) details how employers and coworkers can support a bereaved employee who has suffered the loss of a child. 
• Just Enduring offers recommendations for what employers and co-workers can do to support bereaved parent. 
• Center for Loss & Life Transition: Helping a Grieving Friend in the Workplace

• What’s Your Grief shares many helpful articles including:
  • What to Say to Someone Who is Grieving
  • When Bereavement Leave Runs Out: Going Back to Work After A Death
  • Death of a Co-worker

• SupportLinc Tip Sheets:
  • Supporting a grieving person
  • Supervisors can help ease employees' grief
  • When a coworker dies
  • Coworkers facing grief together
  • Returning to work after a loss

• What’s Your Grief is a website run by two Baltimore-based mental health professionals with 20+ years of experience in grief and bereavement, that promotes grief education, exploration, and expression in both practical and creative ways. They offer a guide to assessing online grief support that may be helpful as you consider resources. 

• The Dinner Party connects young adult grievers to a caring and supportive community of peers who help each other navigate loss, life, and all the stuff in between. They believe grief isn’t a problem that needs solving, but the loneliness that comes with it is.

• The Mourning Hope Grief Center companions children, adults, and families before and after a death loss. Mourning Hope provides grief support groups, counseling, community education, resources and referrals.

• The Center for Loss & Life Transition, led by death educator and grief counselor Dr. Alan Wolfelt, is an organization dedicated to helping people who are grieving and those who care for them. 

• Actively Moving Forward (AMF), a HealGrief program, is a national network created in response to the needs of grieving young adults and adults of all ages and offers information on their website and app. 

• Kwillt is a virtual collaborative community where people come together to meet, share, and celebrate the lives of those they have lost. 

• Peer Support Space is a peer-led organization that aims to help folks feel less alone. They offer a multitude of digital communal gatherings, including daily virtual check-ins as well as activity-based gatherings such as cozy gaming and writing circles.

• Reimagine hosts community-driven experiences that bring creativity and connection to communities around the world. Their goal is to help all people face adversity, loss, and mortality, and channel the hard parts of life into meaningful action and growth. 

• Refuge in Grief is an online community and resource run by psychotherapist, writer, grief advocate, & communication expert, Megan Devine. 

• Option B is dedicated to helping you build resilience in the face of adversity—and giving you the tools to help your family, friends, and community build resilience too. 

• Open to Hope is a non-profit with the mission of helping people find hope after loss that invites you to read, listen and share your stories of hope and compassion. 

• TAPS is the national nonprofit organization providing compassionate care and comprehensive resources to all those grieving a death in the military or veteran community.  

• Modern Loss shares candid conversation about grief in articles and states that beginners are welcome. 

• American Association of Retired People (AARP) Grief and Loss program includes online articles, publications, support groups, and discussion boards on coping with the loss of a family member.

• Goodreads has compiled a list of the best books about grief and grieving. 

• This article from "The Strategist" names the 16 best books about dealing with grief, according to psychologists.  

• The Dinner Party Reads is a place where you can check out a curated list of books to support grievers by various topics.  

• Hospice Savannah has a suggested reading list for books for: grief and loss, parents & professionals to help children, adults helping bereaved children & teens, and adult support/anticipatory grief & caregiving/bereavement. 

• Fernside Center for Grieving Children offers a recommended reading list for grieving children, teens, and adults. 

• Grief Support Subreddit is a great place to share stories, ask questions or seek advice from others. 
• Grieving.com is an online community of people supporting each other, through online forum posts with topics by specific loss, difficult events, caregiving and terminal illness, grief issues, spiritual/religious beliefs, non-death losses, and more. 
• Rx to Feel (Prescription to feel) is a self-guided audio series designed for grievers, by grievers. Each series has a theme and is designed to be listened to while in motion. Movement helps us to move with, rather than away from, the hardest things. This is also available on Soundcloud and Insight Timer. 
• Choosing Therapy lists the 21 best grief podcasts. 
• Gerst Funeral Homes shares information about the benefits of following grief-centered Instagram accounts and gives some recommendations of some of the many out there that exist. 
• Open to Hope TV strives people find hope after loss through a TV series with each episode introducing people who have suffered loss and again found hope.
• The LLOST Foundation offers a private LLOST Facebook Group as a community of support for those dealing with the loss of a loved one to sudden tragedy and you must email them to be added.

• Community Health Network offers a continuum of grief and loss support services. InTouch Bereavement offers free support to adults grieving the death of a loved one, through individual counseling, support groups, specialty events, memorial services and more. For more information or bereavement support, call 317-621-4646 or e-mail InTouch@eCommunity.com. 
• Franciscan Health offers a free Men’s 6-week Bereavement Support Group in Indianapolis. 
• IU Health Bereavement Services offers grief support services in Bloomington, Indianapolis, Lafayette, and Muncie and a newsletter called “Along the Way” with educational information, published on a quarterly basis featuring grief and loss articles and upcoming bereavement events.   
• The Peggy F. Murphy Community Grief Center is a resource for the greater Fort Wayne community as it provides space for individual grief counseling sessions, grief programming, and grief support group meetings for adults who have experienced the loss of a loved one.  
• GriefShare is a Christ-centered grief recovery support group where you can find help and healing for the hurt of losing a loved one. The link goes to the Find a Group page where you can search for virtual and nearby in-person groups. 
• Sacred Circles is held monthly via Zoom, is free, and open to anyone looking for a brief but powerful encounter with their grief. Sacred circles are not sacred in a religious sense but draw on the ancient tradition of circles to create community through an intentional shared space. The 5–10-minute circle, occurs at the same time every month and includes a gently guided facilitation that centers on their values and on the power of movement, community, ritual, and includes an opportunity for attendees to share the name of a person in their life who has died.  
• The Dougy Center Database can help locate grief support near you, offering a combination of online and offline support. 
• Parkview Health offers grief support groups in northeast Indiana.  
• Hope for Bereaved offers an online support group to support the death of a sibling, parent, spouse, partner, relative, friend or co-worker.  
• Wild Grief provides free peer support programs in nature to grieving youth, families and people of all ages. They are a nonprofit based in Olympia, Washington combining peer based grief support with the healing power of nature to serve people from around the region who are grieving the death of someone close to them. 
• Meetup.com can be used to search for local grief support groups in your area. 
• Your local hospital system and hospice organizations may offer grief support groups. 

• Soaring Spirits is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a national support network for people grieving the loss of someone they love. 

• Wings for Widows provides professional financial coaching and education to help newly widowed men and women navigate the financial trauma of early widowhood. Services include financial advice, education, and encouragement at no cost. 

• Modern Widows Club is a movement for widow care dedicated to providing women with essential health tools, supporting them as they transition from the pain of loss to a future filled with growth and empowerment

• National Widowers Organization is a men’s grief network and the website serves as a virtual toolkit of free resources for men coping with the death of a loved one and is a place where men can meet others going through the same transition.  

• DC Widow offers a blog, social media accounts, and resources to give info to widows based off a young widow’s personal experience. 

• The CancerCare loss of a parent support group provides a safe space to connect with others who have lost a parent to cancer. 
• Grief Haven provides information and resources for those in grief, and offers a section for those grieving a parent. 

• The Compassionate Friends offers friendship, understanding, and hope to families grieving the death of a child at any age from any cause. The link goes to the Indiana chapter meeting locator and this link shows various online support groups and private groups through Facebook.  

• Riley Grief Services offers compassionate care and a monthly newsletter with information about upcoming virtual and in person (Indianapolis) events to help families who have experienced the death of a child receive the support they need. They also offer a private Facebook group to connect with others and be notified of upcoming groups and events.

• Bereaved Parents of the USA offers support, understanding, encouragement and hope to fellow bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents after the death of their loved one. 

• The MISS Foundation offers support and mentorship for bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings. 

• Just Enduring offers many resources for parents after the death of a child, including: a step-by-step guide of what to do after a child dies, a peer support program connecting bereaved parents, and more. 

• Parents of Murdered Children (POMC) is a nonprofit for the families and friends of those who have died by violence and provide specific resources, support, and a newsletter. 

• Riley Grief Services offers a monthly, virtual Moms Club the first Wednesday of each month from 6:30-8pm ET to build community and connect with bereaved moms from across Indiana. You can register at the link or find out more information by phone at (317) 963-0829 or email rileygrief@iuhealth.org.

• Caring Companions, through Franciscan Health Indianapolis, is support for women who have recently lost a child to miscarriage, stillbirth or neonatal death. Caring Companions are mothers who have lost a child and are certified volunteers who seek to bring comfort to other parents going through a pregnancy loss. 
• Postpartum Support International (PSI) offers over 50+ free, virtual support groups, including specifically for: black moms, early pregnancy loss, fertility challenges, termination for medical reasons, stillbirth and infant loss, and more. 
• Star Legacy Foundation offers free, virtual support groups for families navigating the profound grief of pregnancy loss, stillbirth, and infant loss. Groups are facilitated by trained mental health professionals, also with personal experience or a practice with an emphasis on perinatal loss and are available in English in Spanish. There are groups specifically for late pregnancy loss, early pregnancy loss, pregnancy after loss, dad’s grief, for grandparents & extended family, parenting after loss, and infant loss/SIDS.
• Rachel’s Gift offers free, virtual support groups led by caring, qualified counselors and social workers and are designed for families enduring miscarriage, stillbirth, and infant death.
• Healing Hearts Support for Parents and Families is a support group for those who have experienced the loss of a baby through miscarriage, a stillbirth or death after birth. 
• You Made Me Mom is a faith-based, monthly support group in Milford, IN serving moms who have lost babies during pregnancy or infancy. There is also a virtual support group option and the website offers many additional resources and help guides. 
• Hannah’s Wish is a Christian-based peer-led support group that meets in Greenwood, IN that is designed to help those who have suffered from infertility, miscarriage, stillborn and infant loss. 
• Share is a community and offers online support groups and resources for anyone who experiences the tragic death of a baby – including parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, as well as the professionals who care for grieving families.  
• First Candle offers peer-to-peer online support groups for individuals and their families to share information and experiences surrounding pregnancy and infant loss. There are Facebook support groups for SIDS, stillbirth, and miscarriage. 
• Center for Loss in Multiple Births is for parents who have experienced the death of one or more children during a multiple pregnancy, at birth, and through childhood. 
• The Motherhood Center offers a small-sized, free, virtual support group for mothers/birthing people navigating the grief of pregnancy or infant loss, whether your loss was recent or long ago, whether you want to talk or simply listen.

• The MISS Foundation offers support and mentorship for bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings. 
• Sounds of the Siblings is a private group hosted on Facebook to support siblings. 
• Bereaved Parents of the USA offers support, understanding, encouragement and hope to fellow bereaved parents, siblings and grandparents after the death of their loved one. 

• Association of Pet Loss and Bereavement hosts chat rooms that are facilitated by professionally trained volunteers under the direction of a psychologist. 

• Lap of Love provides free virtual pet loss support groups over Zoom and grief resources for children.  

• Best Friends lists many pet loss grief resources for coping, including hotlines and support groups, videos, book suggestions, and webinars. 

• Heel to Heal Pet Loss Support Group is a Facebook Group with a free monthly support group open to those in Bloomington and the surrounding area.  

• Chicago Veterinary Medical Association Pet Loss Support provides a monthly pet loss support group over zoom and a pet loss helpline at (630) 325-1600 for grieving pet owners to call and leave a message and then receive a phone call back from a trained volunteer. 

• Stillwater Hospice provides a Pet Loss Support Group each month at the Peggy F. Murphy Community Grief Center in Fort Wayne. 

• The Schwarzman Animal Medical Center offers free, virtual support groups for those navigating pet loss grief. 

• Michigan State University Veterinary Medical Center provides free, bi-monthly virtual pet loss support groups. 

• The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)  provides guides, resources, and shares information about support groups for those who have lost a loved one to suicide.   
• Our Suicide Grief Support Services through Samaritans offers virtual programs support programs with participants from all over the country to connect with peers for comfort and shared understanding after losing a loved one to suicide. 
• Friends for Survival offers free, open, 90-minute, virtual support group meetings for those who have lost a loved one to suicide, led by trained facilitators who are long-term suicide loss survivors. There are open groups and groups specific for grieving moms, grieving men, and spouse & partner loss. Their website also offers an eNewsletter and online resources. 
• Haven of Northern Virginia offers a monthly, online suicide loss support group via zoom and preregistration by calling (703) 941-7000 is required.  
• The American Association of Suicidology provides a range of resources, including guides, handbooks, links to support groups, and an annual Healing After Loss Summit at the AAS Annual Conference. 
• Alliance of Hope free online forum transcends time and distance, offering a culture of kindness, hope, and understanding to people who have lost loved ones to suicide. Operating like a 24/7 support group, our forum is supervised by a mental health professional and moderated by a trained team of loss survivors. Members can read and comment, share their stories, and connect with other suicide loss survivors. They also offer “Healing Emails” for mothers & mother figures and fathers & father figures. 
• Survivor Resources offers virtual support groups for individuals who have lost loved ones to suicide. Groups are free but require a one-time registration. You can complete this after submitting your initial information in the link or by calling the office at (651) 266-5674.
• This Guide for Survivors of Suicide Loss by Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Inc. (TAPS) was written by survivors to help you on your journey of grief after a suicide loss.

• Partnership to End Addiction has peer parent coaches who have lost children to substance use who run closed online support groups. You can also receive text grief support if you have lost a loved one to substance use by texting LOSS to 55753.

• Overdose Lifeline offers LifeLine for Loss, a monthly overdose support group in Marion County for family and friends that have lost a loved one to an overdose.

• After the Storm: Grief Support from Loss through Addiction is a private Facebook group specifically for parents who have lost children to substance use.

• Siblings Strong is a private Facebook group specifically for a substance use loss.

• Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing (GRASP) offers a closed Facebook group, meetings through the statewide chapters, a newsletter, and additional resources for those who have lost a loved one through substance use.

• Support After a Death by Overdose (SADOD) is based out of Massachusetts and provides resources, information, and assistance to people who have been affected by the death of someone they care about from a substance-use-related cause, including with virtual opportunities.

• Survivor Resources offers virtual support groups for individuals who have lost loved ones to accidental death and overdose. Groups are free but require a one-time registration. You can complete this after submitting your initial information in the link or by calling the office at (651) 266-5674.

• Army Mom Strong is a national military support group for mothers of Army service members.
• MarineParents.com is a national community for parents of Marines.
• Navy for Moms is a national community for mothers of Navy service members.
• AFWingMoms is a national group that provides support for those with loved ones in Air Force Basic Military Training.
• Blue Star Mothers is a nonpolitical, nonprofit organization that brings together mothers of service members to show their support.
• Military OneSource offers many bereavement and grief resources for survivors of active-duty deaths.
• Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) offers a community resource report where you can request personalized information for grief resources in your community such as bereavement groups, parenting support, community organizations and more.

• The Dougy Center aims to create safe spaces and free resources for children and families who are grieving.  
• Brooke's Place, out of Indianapolis, provides ongoing grief support groups for young people ages 3-29, camp experiences for youth ages 7-17, and grief resources. 
• Erin's House for Grieving Children out of Fort Wayne, IN provides support for children, teens, and their families who have experienced a death. 
• The Kentucky Center for Grieving Children & Families (KCGCF) shares many resources for helping adults understand what them and their children are feeling in grief and how to support them. 
• Fernside Center for Grieving Children is based out of Cincinnati and provides grief support services and outreach/education. 
• National Alliance for Grieving Children  offers online education and a support group database to assist children and teens throughout the grieving process. 
• Experience Camps is a no-cost program for grieving children who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling or primary caregiver. They also offer resources and a paid experience camp for adults. 
• GriefSucks, an initiative of Experience Camps, is a resource specifically for grieving teens. 
• Comfort Zone Camp  offers free camps are available for children 7-17 who have suffered the loss of a parent, sibling or primary caregiver. They are held year-round in locations across the United States. 
• The National Alliance for Children's Grief (NACG)  is a national organization of professionals dedicated to supporting children and the networks and communities surrounding them.    
• Good Grief builds resilience in children, strengthens families and empowers communities to grow from loss and adversity with resources. 
• The Trauma and Grief (TAG) Center's Virtual Learning Library offers free webinars and resources focusing on childhood trauma and grief for anyone working with children and adolescents who have experienced trauma and loss. 
• Sesame Street – When Families Grieve  presents families’ personal stories about coping with the death of a parent, as well as strategies that have helped these families move forward. 
• Eluna Resource Center shares resources and programs to support youth and families impacted by grief or addiction. 
• Talk Grief is a dedicated online space for grieving teenagers and young adults (13 to 25), powered by the childhood bereavement charity Winston’s Wish.  
• The National Cancer Institute summarizes how grief, mourning, and bereavement are different and describes the different types of grief, treatments for grief, and important issues for grieving children.

Situational grief refers to the experience of grief, sadness, and loss stemming from any challenging or disruptive life event, not just the death of a loved one. Below are some resources to support a potential situational grief you may be experiencing:

• Franciscan Health Indianapolis offers a regular Caregivers Support Group and upcoming events are shown in the event calendar in the link. 
• Dying Your Way aims to promote, educate and provide practical solutions for people involved in the process of dying. 
• Parents of Addicted Loved Ones (PAL) allows parents with an adult child dealing with substance use disorder involving either drugs or alcohol find hope and support through meetings. 
• Co-Dependents Anonymous (CoDA) is a twelve-step program for those in co-dependent relationships desiring healthy and loving relationship. There are in person and virtual meetings around the world. 
• Al-Anon Family Groups (including Alateen) are support groups offering help and hope for families and friends who are worried about someone with a drinking problem.  
• Grief Haven features support for various types of losses, including loss of a relationship/divorce and loss to natural disaster. 
• Learn to Cope is a peer-led support network that offers education, resources, and hope for family members and friends who have loved ones affected by substance use disorder. They have virtual support groups and an online support forum.
• DivorceCare is a faith-based 13-week video-based program with groups occurring in person and virtually.
• What’s Your Grief shares an article on “Saying Goodbye to a Home and Grieving Places Past”.
• Psychology Today shares an article on“When the Flames Take All: Trauma and Recovery After a Fire”.
• The National Center for PTSD provides information on Managing Grief After Disaster Events.
• Together Estranged is a family estrangement non-profit that offers a private Facebook group for support for estranged adult children.
• The Center for Chronic Illness offers support groups for anyone impacted by chronic illness and rare disease that are free and meet virtually.