Finding Grief Support Online

Finding grief support online provides comfort for many people. This is a review of three grief support groups where you may find help when you are mourning a loss.

Grief Support Online: Overview

Online resources should not be your only source of support when you are in mourning. However, they can be a valuable supplement to the efforts of your family and friends. No matter how loving your friends are, they probably have day jobs, but the Internet stays up all night if you can't sleep.

Also, some aspects of grief may seem unpleasant so you could be more comfortable expressing anger or self pity with strangers than with people you have to live with.

Grief Support Groups: GriefNet

GriefNet is directed by Cendra Lynn, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and graduate of the University of Michigan who is also a certified traumatologist. It offers almost 50 email support groups and two web sites. Special features include content for adults, kids, and veterans. The email support groups are monitored by trained volunteers under Dr. Lynn's supervision. You can also browse through their library, bookstore, and memorial ideas, and find links to national and community resources. They request a donation of $10 a month for each support group you join, but will not reject anybody for lack of funds. It seems like an excellent resource with the reassurance that it's supervised by trained personnel.

Grief Support Groups: Online Grief Support

Online Grief Support calls itself a social community offering books, grief counselors, information and online journal therapy. They do explain that a grief counselor is "knowledgeable," but that the practice of therapy is reserved for qualified and legally licensed therapists. The journal feature is free and can be made private or public and works with texts and images. They offer many specialized groups such as deaths from cancer or the death of siblings. Most of the participants sound kind and supportive. I would just note that the activity level may be modest with single replies on many forums.

Grief Support Groups: Journey of Hearts

Journey of Hearts was developed by Kirsti A. Dyer, MD and received a Community Service Award from the American Medical Association. It seeks to combine medicine and art to help people in mourning. Visitors can post messages on the Transformations on the Journey forum or e-mail messages to the website. It provides helpful mourning information and tools for general users and for professionals.