Common Concerns
What is helpful to know in the immediate hours after a loved one dies?
Take your time. Let your heart and mind process the shock. Death is not an emergency.
Is it all right to feel grief over something other than a person?
A loved one, pet, climate change, nature; and loss of job, abilities, and relationships are all normal sources of grief.
How do I know if what I’m feeling is normal?
It is healthy to grieve. Healing requires time, compassion for self, connection with loved ones, eating healthy, and keeping up with self-care (for example, not delaying a doctor’s appointment).
When can grief get complicated?
Grief is a set of normal human emotions that resolve with time and care. But some situations may get more complicated: caring for young children still at home when a parent dies; prior relationship problems; previous trauma; premature death; violence; unresolved grief; or multiple losses. It may be helpful to seek additional help from professionals, community programs, family, and friends.
How do I grieve?
Everyone grieves differently, so there is no one way to do it. Make time to listen to yourself or to be listened to by others. Try to be with your own feelings without shame or judgment.
What if I have unresolved grief from many years back?
It is never too late to ask for help. No grief is too small to be worthy of support. No grief is too big to find peace.
Immediately Available Services
- Phone and virtual counseling sessions, local and nationwide
- Scheduling that meets your needs
- In-person sessions
Rites of Change 