Grief Support

Grief is a natural reaction to loss, and one that each of us experiences differently.

Grief can leave us feeling in need of support but unsure exactly what we might need. We are here to offer caring support and to help you discover the best resources for your grief journey. We offer services which feature individual counseling, support groups, and specially themed workshops for our hospice family members as well as the community. Our highly trained staff of professional counselors will create a safe space with you to express your feelings, address challenges, explore questions, and strategize good ways to cope.

Bereavement counseling is available through support groups and workshops, visits, phone calls, and resources with self-help materials. You will find some grief resources, as well as some frequently asked questions which explain our services in more detail.

We can help you and your family at any stage in your grief, and can provide referrals to other professionals as needed.

Support Groups and Workshops

Bereavement Groups and Workshops are for anyone who lives or works in Montgomery County or Prince George’s County and is grieving the death of a loved one. Professional grief counselors create online support for participants through sharing stories, understanding responses to loss, encouraging connection with others and providing grief education.

Grief Resources

There are many paths on this journey of grief. They are as varied as we are and as unique as our relationships with those we love. Each of us must grieve in our own way. Knowing some of the common feelings, sensations and reactions during grief can make the experience less frightening and help us to remember that we are normal in our grieving. Some of us are private people and find it most helpful to read written materials. Our Bereavement Counselors have compiled and written articles and resources on several areas of grief, such as helping a grieving friend, children and families, and grief around the holidays.

Bereavement Services FAQ’s

Montgomery Hospice and Prince George’s Hospice’s Bereavement Services are available to all family members and loved ones of our patients.  These services include regular phone calls and mailings over the course of the first year after the loss, several in-person counseling sessions when appropriate and desired, referrals for other counseling resources when needed, free participation in the groups and workshops we offer throughout the year, and two memorial gatherings each year (Tree of Lights at Brookside Gardens and a Celebration of Life at Leisure World).

Yes, our grief counselors are here to help when life feels especially difficult after someone close to you dies.  All of our services (mentioned above) are available to you, with individual counseling dependent upon staff availability.

Due to generous financial support for Montgomery Hospice and Prince George’s Hospice by the community, all our bereavement services are provided at no cost.  The only exception is a $25 placeholder fee for non-Montgomery Hospice and Prince George’s Hospice family members who register for a support group.

Our staff of eight professional grief counselors have graduate degrees in counseling or a counseling-related field, and they have proven expertise in issues related to grief and loss.  You can expect a safe, confidential conversation with an experienced counselor who will provide supportive listening, and who will explore with you good ways to cope and find resilience in your life.

We recognize that the parent or parental figure is often the most important person in a child’s life, and the one who knows that child best.  While Montgomery Hospice and Prince George’s Hospice Bereavement does not offer individual counseling to anyone under the age of 18, we seek to work with parents or parental figures to evaluate and strategize for good ways to support each unique child.  If desired and appropriate, our grief counselors will also provide resources for other counselors, therapists and groups in the community.

Yes, our bereavement counselors regularly plan a Time to Remember event at organizations such as Nursing Homes, Assisted-Living Facilities, Law Offices, Local Businesses, and Religious Groups.

Yes, our grief counselors routinely offer workshops on topics such as “Grief 101,” “How to Help a Grieving Friend,” and “Professional Self-Care.”  We provide these workshops in a variety of places: in religious communities and retirement settings, in medical facilities with medical and mental health professionals, and in online webinars and training events.

To learn more about specific services, please call 301-921-4400.