Bereavement Support Groups
Hope for the Bereaved, Inc.
4500 Onondaga Blvd., Syracuse, NY 13219
(315) 475-9675
Helpline: (315) 475-HOPE
www.hopeforbereaved.com
This is an amazing place created by a grieving mom in 1979. They have specific support groups for the loss of a spouse, sibling, parent or child. They also personalize each group (ie: suicide, murder, SIDS, prolonged illness, sudden death, etc.) It is worth the travel. It is known as the leading grief support resource in Central New York. Wonderful people!
Specific Bereaved Parent Support for Loss of a Child
Monroe County, New York
Compassionate Friends* (For Bereaved Parents)
For parents who have lost a child of any age. Ongoing sessions on 2nd & 4th Tuesdays each month, 7:00-9:00 p.m. at the First Unitarian Church, 220 Winton Road South, Rochester, NY 14620; donation requested. www.tcfrochester.org
Golisano Children’s Hospital Bereavement Support for Grieving Parents
Golisano Children’s Hospital offers opportunities for bereaved parents to connect in both formal and informal settings. Through casual meet-up nights and more formal bereavement group meetings offered yearly, we aim to normalize the feelings of deep grief, provide opportunities for parents to talk about their children, and connect parents with others who understand the painful experience of losing a child.
For information about the various groups, please visit https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/childrens-hospital/bereavement/organizations-and-support-groups.aspx.
Crossbridge Wellness Affiliates, LLC
At Crossbridge Wellness Affiliates, LLC, we provide multi-disciplinary services that compassionately address physical, emotional, and spiritual issues. Our counseling, therapy, bodywork, and coaching services are grounded in holistic and functional principles (meaning that the various systems of the mind and body function in tandem and affect each other). We believe that mind, body, and spirit cannot be separated when seeking true well-being. Our affiliates are highly qualified licensed or board-certified professionals who are dedicated to the healing of our clients. We serve individuals, couples, families, and children. We also offer groups, workshops, and continuing education classes. We provide in-person services in Monroe County and the greater Rochester area, and some of our practitioners also serve clients who not local to us via web conferencing. https://www.crossbridgewellness.com/coping--compassion--support-for-grieving-parents
Star Legacy Foundation – Western NY Chapter
This organization offers grief support for parents who have suffered pregnancy loss or neonatal loss in our area. There is a grief hotline with certified grief counselors available, free support groups and 1-1 peer support options to assist these bereaved parents along their grief journey. https://starlegacyfoundation.org/western-ny-chapter/
The Darcie Project
This Facebook page is to remember Darcie Samantha. It’s a page where bookmarks and other inspirational cards are available for free to mail to those who have gone through a pregnancy or infant loss. Each October, they sponsor an Annual Remembrance Walk – Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness at Cobbs Hill Reservoir in Rochester, NY. Please visit: https://www.facebook.com/thedarcieproject
Out of the area:
Alive Alone
This non-profit is based out of Ohio and it focuses its support on parents who have lost their only child. Visit www.alivealone.org to see what they provide for families who lose their only child. They also have a Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/Alive-Alone.
Specific Support for Children Who are Grieving
Monroe County, NY
Dreams from Drake
This amazing organization sponsors fun, monthly activities and get-togethers for bereaved children in the Rochester, NY area. They also sponsor a summer camp for children who have lost a parent or sibling. Please visit www.dreamsfromdrake.org for more information.
Children Coping with Loss and Grief Group
This is a therapy group for children under age 18 who have experienced stressful life events. Must be a patient of Unity Health System. Visit https://www.mharochester.org/ for more information.
Out of the Area
Outward Bound
Outward Bound, a provider of experiential and outdoor education programs for youth and adults, hold grieving teen expeditions yearly in the United States. Grieving Teens expeditions are designed to help students build confidence and resiliency, acquire coping skills, and create a network of ongoing support. The grief work that is woven into the curriculum helps young people share in a relevant healing experience with real-world outcomes. And in a time and space set aside just for them, grieving teens realize they are not alone. New York Life Foundation provides additional needs-based scholarships on a case-by-case basis. Visit https://www.outwardbound.org/expeditions/grieving-teens/ for information about upcoming adventures.
General Bereavement Support
Monroe County, NY
University of Rochester Bereavement Support
Losing a loved one isn’t easy to prepare for or accept. Grieving is a healthy and normal response to loss. We provide support through the bereavement process and can help individuals and families heal. We’re available to provide you or your family with as much or as little assistance before or after a loved one has died, at no cost. Our Bereavement Program is an extension of our hospice care and helps address feelings of loss, grief, or sorrow through:
- Individual or group support
- Community referrals to trained bereavement professionals as needed
- Special programs and services, such as education or training
- Quarterly letters
- The annual Memorial Butterfly Release
- The Evening of Remembrance held annually to honor loved ones
- Trained bereavement volunteers that offer massage, Reiki, energy work, spiritual care and who provide regular supportive phone calls
Visit: https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/home-care/hospice-care/bereavement.aspx
Rochester Regional Health Bereavement Services
At Rochester Regional Health Hospice Care, we offer many forms of support to help you find your way through grief. We offer these services to anyone dealing with grief, whether you’ve had prior contact with our hospice care services or not. Nearly half of those who attend our support groups have had no previous relationship with Hospice. You will enjoy full access to resources that provide reassurance, understanding, and encouragement– at our Monroe Avenue location in Rochester. During the year, Rochester Regional Health Hospice Care also sponsors memorial observances, open to the entire community (as well as families served by Hospice). Experience tells us that commemorating the lives of those we have lost is an important step on the path to healing. https://www.rochesterregional.org/services/hospice-care/our-services/bereavement-services.
Path Forward Counseling*, 2480 Browncroft Blvd., Ste 256, Rochester, NY 14625, Phone: (585) 383-8338, Fax: (833) 201-5491 Email: info@path-forward-counseling.com. They offer individual psychotherapy, couples therapy, family therapy, group therapy and play therapy. Please visit https://www.path-forward-counseling.com/ for more information. Recommended to us by a fellow bereaved parent*
Out of Area
Online Grief Resources & Workbooks
Cassie Jewell is a mental health clinician and the creator of Mind ReMake Project www.mindremakeproject.org, a site she developed for posting free self-help resources and information for consumers and other mental health professionals. Cassie has a master’s degree in Community Counseling. Cassie is a licensed professional counselor (LPC), a licensed substance abuse treatment practitioner (LSATP), and a board-approved clinical supervisor in Virginia. Her Coping with Loss Workbook can be found at https://mindremakeproject.org/2021/08/13/coping-with-loss-workbook/*.
*This website and workbook were shared with us by a victim advocate in our area. Like with all the literature and links on our website, please review these materials for yourself and determine what works best for you at this time in your grief journey. Also, asking for assistance from a professional therapist, counselor or other mental health professional is always a wonderful option as you travel through this agonizing journey of loss.
Online Grief Support Groups
David Kessler is a grief specialist, speaker, and author of six books. He himself witnessed a mass shooting as a child while his mother was terminally ill in the hospital. From there, his grief journey began. He now facilitates a new model of online grief groups called Tender Hearts. Visit www.davidkesslertraining.com to see what online meetings and gatherings he provides (some of which are free to join).*
*One of bereaved moms recommended his free online gatherings that are held around holidays and certain times of the year.
Faith-Based Support:
Faith & Grief*: Their mission is to provide opportunities for comfort & hope to those who have experienced the death of a loved one. Visit their website: https://www.faithandgrief.org. Recommended to us by a fellow bereaved parent*
Area Hospital Mental Health Centers and Many Agencies Provide Care on a Sliding Scale Basis
Check with:
AGAPE Counseling Associates
(585) 385-6030
www.agaperoc.org
Catholic Family Center
(585) 546-7220
www.cfcrochester.org
Jewish Family Service
(585) 461-0110
www.jfsrochester.org
St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center
(585) 325-5260
www.sjncenter.org
Spiritus Christi Church
(585) 325-1180
www.spirituschristi.org
Other Resources Available To Find Support/Assistance While Grieving
Ask your clergy, funeral director, local hospital, school counselor, or physician for grief support information. Also, search the internet for “grief support” or “bereavement counseling/therapy” in your area. There are many websites with information about area groups. These are only a few that we have found and have been recommended to us. If you find another agency or group that helps you, please let us know about them and we will gladly post their information so that others can be helped, as well.
Niagara County
Life Transistions Center, Inc. (affiliated with Hospice Buffalo)
1140 Delaware Avenue, Buffalo, NY 14209
(716) 836-6460
www.lifetransitionscenter.com
Samaritan Pastoral Counseling Center
322 Old Falls Boulevard, North Tonawanda, NY 14120
(716) 743-9117
Toll free: 1-800-660-5053