Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Online Support for Grieving Your Friend

A couple years ago I researched online grief support groups for those who have lost a friend. It was not a fruitful search.

Many sites – and they’re wonderful, don’t get me wrong – are specific to certain situations. There are online support groups for grieving a parent, sibling, spouse, child, pet. Some are general grief sites that have chat rooms for specific types of grief.

There are sites for those who grieve a family member who died on 9/11 or committed suicide.

There are online groups that are more general, concentrating on the commonalities of our grief.

And like I said, they’re very good.

I made a conscious decision when I started Friend Grief that it would not be an online grief support site in the traditional way. I’m not a therapist or psychologist or member of the clergy. I have no credentials, in that sense. This blog is for people to learn and share, without getting a diagnosis (not that there’s anything wrong with that).

Grief support groups can be found in most communities, at hospitals, hospices and places of worship. But not everyone wants to sit in a group, or even sit alone with a therapist. Some people would just like to be able to connect with others online.

For those of you who do want that professional moderator online, there are some resources out there. Two of them are Legacy.com and the Hospice of the Valley. You’ll find links and more information about them on the Resources page.

If you know of an online grief support group specifically for friends, please let me know and I’ll add them here.




2 comments:

Marty Tousley, RN, MS, FT said...

Thank you so much for letting your readers know about our online Grief Discussion Groups (which include a forum for Loss of a Friend). Our site is sponsored by Hospice of the Valley in Phoenix, AZ, and is moderated by certified hospice bereavement counselors. It is available at no cost, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Membership is free, safe and anonymous. You are most welcome to join us, at http://www.hovforum.ipbhost.com

Friend Grief said...

You're welcome, Marty. Glad to share!