Grieving the loss of a loved one is a deeply personal and often difficult journey. These resources were compiled to help provide comfort and guidance during this challenging time.
Podcasts Recommendations
It's OK that You're Not OK
Megan Devine's podcast "It’s OK that You’re Not OK" features deep, insightful conversations with guests from various fields about their often hidden struggles and the importance of being seen and supported during difficult times, emphasizing that it's okay to not be entirely okay.
Grief is my Side Hustle
Trauma therapist and podcast host Meghan Riordan Jarvis, after losing both parents, leads weekly discussions with guests who explore grief and loss, emphasizing the importance of open conversations about these often uncomfortable topics.
Book Recommendations
It's Ok that You're Not OK
In It's OK That You're Not OK, Megan Devine offers a compassionate and insightful guide on how to navigate grief, challenging societal expectations to "fix" it and instead encouraging people to build a life alongside their pain.
How to Carry What Can't Be Fixed
How to Carry What Can’t Be Fixed is a journal and everyday companion to help you enter a conversation with your grief, find your own truth, and live into the life you didn’t ask for―but is here nonetheless.
What's Your Grief?
In What's Your Grief?, mental health professionals Eleanor Haley and Litsa Williams guide you through the complex and universal experience of grieving various life changes, from losing a loved one to navigating breakups and relocations.
The AfterGrief
"The AfterGrief" challenges the misconception that grief should be time-limited, emphasizing that the loss of a loved one is something we never fully move beyond.
Tips and Support
Tips for Clinicians
- Embrace a grief-informed approach, paying close attention to signs that indicate the need for additional support.
- Instead of rushing to provide solutions, prioritize therapeutic listening and validation, as these are invaluable in supporting individuals through their grieving process.
- It is beneficial to maintain a list of local resources and seek feedback on their effectiveness.
- Furthermore, develop, test, and implement grief interventions tailored to the specific needs of your patient population.
Supporting Colleagues or Friends
- Prioritize validation over immediate solutions. Create a supportive environment by actively listening and acknowledging feelings.
- Extend specific offers of practical assistance tailored to your availability and expertise, such as drafting emails for rescheduling meetings or providing thoughtful gifts like gift certificates, notebooks, neck warmers, or tea.
- Additionally, offer intangible gifts by respecting communication preferences, sharing updates, sending personalized emails, and consistently reaching out to maintain a strong connection.
Supporting Loss/Grief with Policy
- Implementation of structured caregiving and compassionate bereavement leave policies
- Enhanced research efforts focusing on grief studies and effective interventions
- Integration of specialized grief training programs
- Expansion of training opportunities, increased funding, and diversified payment methods to enhance the accessibility and quality of grief support services.
Supporting Grievers with Systems
- Utilize services that specialize in grief to enhance support for employees.
- Ensure easy access and connection to grief groups for employees in need.
- Implement grief-informed leadership practices within the organization.
- Offer paid time off over the first two years to allow employees to grieve and manage death-related administrative tasks, or “dead-min”.
- Adjust job responsibilities to accommodate grieving employees for 1-2 years after bereavement
- Provide salary support as a form of assistance during difficult times.