Grief Counseling
Shining a light of support on your darkest hour
Grief counseling supports you as you come to terms with the end of your loved one’s life. Through grief counseling, you develop skills and access resources for coping with your loss.
What to Expect with Grief Counseling
No one grieves a loss the same way, and no single counseling and support process is best for all people. However, everyone can benefit from grief counseling. Comprehensive, personalized grief counseling services include chaplaincy, social work, education and mental health.
Once you request grief counseling, we match you to a counselor or support group that best meets your individual needs and is convenient to your location. Counselors and support groups are available around the state and home visits are available when needed.
If you or your family members need extra support beyond the scope of our counseling services, we can refer you to additional resources within our community.
Counseling Services
Anticipatory Grief Support
The impending end of a loved one’s life may cause you to feel difficult emotions. You may need the special skills of a grief counselor or the understanding and companionship of a support group before and/or after your loved one’s death. Our chaplains, social workers and nurses are available to support you during the entire end-of-life process and provide resources at any time.
Bereavement Support Groups
Sharing grief with others on their own paths of mourning helps heal the pain of losing a loved one. Support groups can give additional comfort and reassurance in combination with one on one grief counseling. IU Health support groups meet at locations around the state. Your bereavement coordinator will help you find the group that best matches your experience.
Learn more about bereavement services at IU Health.
Grief Counseling After Loss of a Child
If you have experienced the loss of a child, the Hope in Healing program at Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health offers counseling and grief support specific to your needs.
Grief Counseling for Hospice Patients
As a patient, you may need support to work through the needs, hopes and fears that often go with a life-limiting illness. Our social workers and chaplains offer support for both you and your family. Sometimes memory-making activities may help you work through the end-of-life process together.
Grief Counseling for Families of Hospice Patients
When you lose someone you love, you experience feelings that are unpredictable and confusing. We create a safe place for you to explore your grief and identify and communicate these feelings. Whether you need a single session or want to meet weekly or intermittently, grief counseling is offered with no fixed timeline and no cut-off date.
Grief Counseling for Friends and Extended Family
You may have deep relationships with people outside of your immediate family, such as friends, co-workers, neighbors and others. We offer bereavement support to help them with the process of mourning their loss.
Referrals to Outside Resources
Your needs may extend beyond the scope of emotional and spiritual support available within IU Health Hospice. One of our bereavement coordinators will assess your difficulty and refer you to appropriate resources.