Online
- David Kessler’s Tender Hearts Grief Support Community offers an online course and support group participation. Attendees pay $34 per month. Kessler’s Grief Educator Certification program may also be of interest.
In-person in the Blacksburg, Virginia area
Grief support groups are offered by Good Samaritan Hospice for residents of the Montgomery County and Roanoke, Virginia areas. Please contact Good Samaritan Hospice for more information.
A pet loss support group is being organized by the Virginia Tech Veterinary Teaching Hospital. For more information, please contact Augusta O’Reilly, LCSW, Licensed Clinical Veterinary Social Worker, 540-231-5977.
Research-informed reading
Here are definitions of grief and grieving based on those offered by Mary Frances O’Connor, Ph.D., author of The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss (2021):
- Grief. After loss, grief is the complex, anguished, yearning feeling associated with love, attachment, bonding, connection, and belonging.
- Grieving is the process by which the heart, mind, and brain adapt and adjust to the absence.
Overviews of Mary-Frances O-Connor, Ph.D.’s research findings
- 5 key insights from The Grieving Brain
- Grief is a byproduct of love
- How do our brains handle grief? | Mary-Frances O’Connor | TEDxUArizona, YouTube, 2023, 17:25
On Grief and Grieving, Anne Giles
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