Grief Support Resources
Help may be a click away
If you or someone you know has thoughts of death or suicide,
help is available. Speak with someone today!
National Suicide Hotline
(800) 273 – 8255
Text Crisis Line
TEXT “HOME” TO 741741
Suicide Loss Helpline
(800) 646 – 7322
Grief Groups for Adults
Grief & the Holidays
When: Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 6:30 pm
Where: The River Falls Golf Club
2120 E Division St • River Falls, WI
Cost: Free
Refreshments will be served. There is no fee to attend, but please
bring a donation of a non-perishable food item for the local food pantry.
RSVP by calling O’Connell Funeral Homes at 715-386-3725
Limited seating, please reserve your today!
Download PDF
Weathering Life’s Losses
When: Meets every Thursday 6:30-7:30pm
Where: via Zoom.
Cost: Free
Contact: Register by contacting Monique at
mdosdall.stcroixchaplaincy@gmail.com
or (651) 239-8441.
More info at: St. Croix Chaplaincy Facebook Page
Paths to Peace Support Group (RIVER FALLS)
When: 6 weeks on Tuesdays, June 11 – July 23, 2024
Time: 1-2:30pm
Where: River Falls, WI – 225 South 3rd Street
Cost: Free – Space is limited
Contact: Registration Required.
Call O’Connell Funeral Home (715) 386-3725 to reserve your spot
Download PDF
Paths to Peace Support Group (HUDSON)
When: 8 weeks on Mondays, September 16 – November 11, 2024
2:00 – 3:30 pm or 5:30-7:00 pm
Where: Our Hudson Chapel –520 11th Street South, Hudson, WI
Cost: Free
Contact: Registration Required.
Call O’Connell Funeral Home (715) 386-3725 to reserve your spot
Download PDF
Paths to Peace Support Group (ELLSWORTH)
When: 8 weeks on Tuesdays, September 17 – November 12, 2024
2:00 – 3:30 pm
Where: Our Ellsworth Chapel – 130 North Grant Street, Ellsworth, WI
Cost: Free
Contact: Registration Required.
Call O’Connell Funeral Home (715) 273-4421 to reserve your spot
Download PDF
BeFriender Ministry
BeFrienders provides pastoral care through a listening presence for anyone experiencing: Hospitalization, cancer or chronic illness, families of deployed military, resident of a nursing facility, addiction, post-partum depression, stress of being a caregiver, death of a loved one, loneliness, getting married or divorced
Offered through Bethel Lutheran Church
(715) 386-8821 or kristink@bethelhudson.org
Growing Through Loss
When: Mondays for 6 weeks in the Spring and Fall – 6:45-9:00pm
Where: Rotating location around Twin Cities – visit website for details
Cost: Free
Info: First 45 minutes will host a speaker who present son grief related topics, then small group break out sessions afterwards
Contact: www.growingthroughloss.org or 763-755-5335
Grief Share (Adults)
When: Weekly Christian-based groups for 13 weeks, providing support via video, group discussion, and personal study and reflection.
Where: Various support groups in the Twin Cities and Western Wisconsin area
Cost: Varies
Contact: To find a group near you – https://www.griefshare.org/findagroup
Brighter Days Grief Center (Adults, Children, and Families)
When: One-on-one and group programs via email, phone, or virtual appointments.
Where: Free grief resources in and around the Minnesota metro area.
Cost: Free
Contact: (952) 303-3873 or info@bdgc.us
Widows Might (Adults)
When: Monthly groups geared towards women who have lost their spouse/partner
Where: Various support groups and larger events in the Twin Cities and Western Wisconsin area
Cost: Free
Contact: For more information contact: (763) 486-8192 or local group facilitators – Lois Grant dlahjj@aol.com & Charlotte Nisleit rnisleit@aol.com
Grief Groups for Children or Child Loss
Kids & Teens in Grief
When: Three 6-week sessions per year, from 6:00 – 7:15pm
Where: Boutwell’s Landing in Stillwater
Cost: No charge
Contact: Must/should pre-register by contacting Chaplain Bob @ Lakeview Hospital: 651-430-4586
Children’s Grief Connection/Hearts of Hope Family Grief Camp
Free, in-person day camps to help families come together to heal, serving family members from preschool through grandparenthood.
https://childrensgriefconnection.com/get-healing/
For more information contact: (651) 395-8177 or jessica@childrensgriefconnection.com
or hope@childrensgriefconnection.com
Cost: free ($150 refundable deposit)
Grieving Kids & Teens
When: Meets 3rd Monday of Each Month, 7-9PM
Where: 1725 Grand Ave, St. Paul MN
Cost: No charge
Contact: Must pre-register by contacting Tracy Toner – (651) 587-8006
Camp Hope
Free, weekend camp in central Wisconsin where children and teenagers from throughout the state gather to work through the grieving process after a loved one dies.
For more information contact: Becky Loy – (715) 341-0076
Living With Grief (Youth Program)
When: Meets 3rd Thursday of each month
Ages 5-12: 5-5:45pm | Ages 13-18 6-6:45pm | Parent/Caregiver: 7-7:45pm
Where: Virtual
Cost: No charge
Info: A safe space for grieving children and teens to connect and receive support. Registration is required.
Contact: (612) 813-7216 or bereavement@childrensMN.org
Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Group (Adults)
When: Meets 2nd Monday of each month
Where: Virtual
Cost: No charge
Info: Helping parents whose baby has died through ectopic pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, or newborn death
Contact: Registration is required. (612) 813-7216 or bereavement@childrensMN.org
Individual Counseling & Help Lines
Crossbridge Family Solutions, LLC
Nationally Certified Family Life Educator providing support and assistance to struggling families during extremely difficult life events and seasons. As a Certified Funeral Celebrant, Grief Support Group Facilitator, and Certified in Spirituality, Health, and Healing, she provides knowledgable, individualized psychological and spiritual care to grieving families. Located in Baldwin, WI
For more information contact:
Kathleen Helgeson, MA, CFLE – (612) 501-2744
Awaken Counseling & Coaching
Passionate professional dedicated to help you Design Your Life. She can help resolve challenges in your life and find solutions to build action steps towards your big dreams and highest purpose through: Counseling, Personal Coaching, Business Coaching, Group Coaching, and Speaking Engagements.
Office Location: 808 Heggen St., Hudson, WI
Maria Shea, MA, LPC – (715) 505-7268
www.mariashea.com
National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI)
St. Croix/Pierce County – River Falls, WI namiscv@gmail.com (608) 301-5440
Barron County – Rice Lake namibarroncounty@gmail.com
(715) 736-0089
Eau Claire/Chippewa/Dunn County – Eau Claire namicv@yahoo.com (715) 450-6484
Family Means: Center for Grief & Loss (Adults, Children, and Families)
When: Counseling and therapy services
Where: Offices in: Stillwater, MN, Eau Claire, WI, Hudson, WI, Rochester, MN, and St. Paul, MN
Cost: Varies
Contact: for more information contact: (651) 641-0177
Books & Online Resources
Cry Until You Laugh: Comforting Guidance for Coping with Grief
Richard J. Obsershaw, MSW, LICSW, Beaver’s Pond Press Inc., 2010
It’s Ok That You’re Note Ok: Meeting Grief and Loss in Culture That Doesn’t Understand
Megan Devine, Sounds True Inc., 2017
A Comforted Heart: An oncology psychotherapists perspective on finding meaning and hope during illness and loss
Kelly Grosklags, LICSW, Conversations with Kelly, CWK Publishers, 2017
How to Survive the Loss of a Love
Harold H. Bloomfield M.D., Mebla Colgrove Ph.D., and Peter McWilliams. Mary Books/Prelude Press, 2000
Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief
Joanne Cacciatore, Wisdom Publications, 2017
A Grief Observed
C.S. Lewis, HarperOne, 1961
A Comforted Heart: An oncology psychotherapists perspective on finding meaning and hope during illness and loss
Kelly Grosklags, LICSW, Conversations with Kelly, CWK Publishers, 2017
Healing A Spouses’s Heart: 100 Practical Ideas After Your Husband or Wife Dies
Alan Wolfelt Ph.D., Companion Press, 2003
The Hot Young Widows Club: Lessons on Survival from the Front Lines of Grief
Nora McInerny, Simon & Schuster, 2019
The Group: Seven Widowed Fathers Reimagine Life
Donald L. Rosentstein and Justin Yopp, Oxford University Press, 2018
After Suicide Loss: Coping with Your Grief, 2nd Edition
Jack Jordan and Bob Baugher, Caring People Press, 2016
Bruised and Wounded: Struggling to Understand Suicide
Ronald Rolheiser, Paraclete Press, 2018
Myths about Suicide
Thomas Joiner, Harvard University Press, 2011
No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One
Carla Fine, Main Street Books, 2011
Supporting Children after a Suicide Loss: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers
Sarah S. Montgomery and Susan M. Coale, Chesapeake Life Center, 2015
Voices of Healing and Hope: Conversations on Grief after Suicide
Iris Bolton, Bolton Press Atlanta, 2017
Why People Die by Suicide
Thomas E. Joiner, Harvard University Press, 2005
Tear Soup: A Recipe for Healing After Loss
Pat Schwiebert and Chuck DeKlyen, Perinatal Loss, 1999 (for ages 3+)
When Families Grieve (A Sesame Street DVD, A Guide for Parents and Caregivers, and A Children’s Story)
Sesame Street, Talk, Listen, Connect, 2010 (for ages 3+)
After a Death: An Activity Book for Children
Amy Barrett Lindholm, Donna L. Schuurman, Joan Schweizer Hoff, and Rebecca Hobbs Lawrence, The Dougy Center for Grieving Children, 2007 (for ages 5-12)
The Invisible String
Patrice Karst, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, (for ages 4-8)
Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens: 100 Practical Ideas – Simple tips for understanding and expressing your grief
Alan D. Wolfelt Ph.D., Companion Press, 2001 (for ages 12-18)
www.sheclimbsmountains.com (for daughters who have lost a mother)
www.dougy.org (for children)
www.allianceofhope.org (suicide loss)
www.friendsforsurvival.org (suicide loss)
www.pos-ffos.com (parents of suicide)
www.suicidefindinghope.com (suicide loss)
www.taps.org (for military families)
