📋 Finding the Right Grief Support Group for Healing (AARP Article)

[SummerOnTheWay1]

FROM THE ARTICLE. 

Experts share insights on choosing the best national or local community for comfort after your loss.

By Sharon Jayson, AARP. Published October 10, 2025.

Navigating the territory of bereavement and grief can be overwhelming amid daily life demands. For those in the throes of mourning and lingering sadness, a support group may help ease the pain and provide some comfort.

And those who have made grief their life’s work say finding the right group makes all the difference.

It’s important to look for grief support that will not necessarily make you feel better, but makes you feel understood,” says Mary Lamia, a clinical psychologist in private practice in Marin County, California. “It’s not about getting over it, but continuing to live with it. Then it’s a good support group.

Understanding grief.

Grief is defined as an individual’s emotional response to loss. The American Psychological Association (APA) defines it as “the anguish experienced after significant loss, usually the death of a beloved person.” The APA refers to bereavement as “the condition of having lost a loved one to death."

USE THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE.

https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/basics/grief-resources/ 

[SummerOnTheWay1]

[Saturday 5/2/26]

This AARP Article and Group Discussion might interest you.

Our AARP Expert Amy @agoyer added her "words of wisdom" too.

Deciding whether you need support or not is often a hard decision. Then once we have decided, how to go about all this.

This article & Discussion will give you some guidance.

Grief & Loss Team  ‌‌🤗‌‌ 

[SummerOnTheWay1]

Dear Tracey @TraceyM604335 , I am so sorry for your loss!!! We never plan on losing our children. AARP Experts Jane @JaneCares and Amy @agoyer , do you have any suggestions? With me, I did in person individual counseling for 4 months. It took a year of "hiding" (staying home) before I was ready to move forward. I feel we will always miss them. Always get angry at our loss. But with time (maybe years), life kind of settles down and we seem to survive. I am so glad you stopped by to see us. I am ALWAYS here for you.

Luv,

Nicole  ‌🤗‌‌🤗‌‌🤗‌  (Grief Forum)

[TraceyM604335]

Thinking about joining a group, but I'm not sure what kind of group I should join. I've recently lost two of my Children and haven't been handling this process very well. I lost my son on Mother's day will be five years, then last April I lost my daughter who was my best friend

[agoyer]

@TraceyM604335 I'm so sorry to hear of the loss of two of your children. I can't imagine. One resource you might look into is an organization called "The Compassionate Friends". It was created to support people grieving the loss of a child of any age. They have a network of support and some very helpful information on their website at www.compassionatefriends.org and I think this page is particularly helpful: https://www.compassionatefriends.org/death-adult-child/ 

When my niece died, my sister found it to be a very helpful organization. 

Here are couple of other AARP resources that might be helpful to you:

Finding the Right Grief Support Group for Healing https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/basics/grief-resources/  (article on AARP website that points people to various ways to find grief support)

AARP's Grief, Loss and End of Life Resource Center www.AARP.org/griefandloss 

Living Through the Grief of Losing a Child https://www.aarp.org/family-relationships/grief-when-a-child-dies/ 

I hope these resources are helpful to you. My heart goes out to you. 

Take care,

Amy Goyer, AARP's Family & Caregiving Expert

[mc6844]

I've participated in online grief support. Great for those who have challenges navigating for instance, with a cane etc. The Aarp forum focuses on grief, and loss, and this prevents other issues that is too much for a griever to consider. Grief is not something that is over and done with. Also, the passing of people is not always beautiful. Before this happens there is usually a long stretch of illness and caregiving. Caregivers are left physically exhausted and bereft. The caregiving forum here is also very good. My experience with grief no matter the forum or group is to keep the day simple and let things fall into place. For instance, I keep up with housework instead of cleaning every room at once. Plus you never know where you find support for the day. Everyone is going through something. A kind word or gesture goes a long way. And can help a griever fill up that well of grief.  Keep coming back!

[SummerOnTheWay1]

I finally started Individual Counseling July 2025.

Grateful Medicare covers a MONTHLY SESSION.

She had "suggested" weekly but told her I am basically self-sufficient and NOT feeling I needed to see her that often. 

I had my "meltdown" when car & my health "tested" me THIS YEAR 2025.

It was like TOO MUCH that was "hanging" around (alot of medical tests & more on the way and car getting older/2006 Hyundai Elantra) which was TRIGGERING my "grief" all over AGAIN.

January 2025 I had CELEBRATED surviving "grief" then got hit with car & health later in the year.

Luv,

Nicole. 🤗🤗🤗  (Grief Forum)

[mc6844]

Nicole, I'm glad you found a resource that works for you. I'm sorry about your car and health challenges. It's hard dealing with those things on your own. I don't know if your medical has a nurse you can call and ask questions or what's bothering you. Maintaining a car is not easy in our situations. It's scary financially and repair is stressful. If we're older the fatigue of it all can drain us. During these times I need simplicity more than ever. Having people we can contact and/or ask for help is important. And a true blessing. The whole process is up and down, back and forth etc. One foot in front of the other. Take care Nicole. I hope you feel better! 💘😊

[SummerOnTheWay1]

Thank you MC @mc6844 !!! I too have been FOCUSING on keeping my life simple. Grateful for my only child, a daughter & my cat "Mister". As ALWAYS, we APPRECIATE your visits my friend.

Luv,

Nicole. 🤗🤗🤗  (Grief Forum)

➡️[*** MC 

---

@mc6844 wrote:

Nicole, I'm glad you found a resource that works for you. I'm sorry about your car and health challenges. It's hard dealing with those things on your own. I don't know if your medical has a nurse you can call and ask questions or what's bothering you. Maintaining a car is not easy in our situations. It's scary financially and repair is stressful. If we're older the fatigue of it all can drain us. During these times I need simplicity more than ever. Having people we can contact and/or ask for help is important. And a true blessing. The whole process is up and down, back and forth etc. One foot in front of the other. Take care Nicole. I hope you feel better! 💘😊

---

[mc6844]

Nicole it's always great to see how you and everyone on the forum is doing. So many uplifting suggestions and sharing. I find the turn of the moon days create anxiety. Men have this challenge too. Those few days will pass and I'll feel better. I get through it with exercise, and diet. I'm grateful for the health I do have, and try to maintain. It's makes everything we go through easier. Please take care!

[GailL1]

Sometimes that is all one has to give . . . . one step forward two steps back.  Those life things can feel very heavy at times especially when there is nobody close by to help you or even share or talk with you.  That is when a support group - official or unofficial - or even a lone counselor comes in very handy.  

The problem with those that you need to make an appointment with is they are there after the crisis or meltdown has occurred and it is a time to look back at the triggers and figure out how things could be either handled differently or how we can react differently to them.  

Whereas if there was a group or even a contact that one can call at the crisis moment, to just use as a sounding board or a shoulder to cry on - just getting it all out can reduce it’s affect.  In those times of vulnerability, we take strength from others or the group until we can once again stand on our own two-feet taking that one step at a time always forward.  

It is hard to do but it does work, doubly hard if we are already loners.  Because being too much of a loner gives the brain too much time to keep playing those old thought over and over.  

“ It is by self-forgetting that one finds " Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. Inner peace is achieved by shifting focus from one's own needs and concerns to those of others, finding fulfillment in service, forgiveness, and love rather than in seeking comfort or being understood.  

Remember we do have to accept the things that we cannot change - 

Have a really good evening - whoops, I mean early morning - darn insomnia!