Aftercare

Holding a funeral or memorial service for your loved one is a positive first step in the grieving process. Family members and friends get a chance to say their goodbyes, and at the same time, they get to share strong feelings with one another.

In the days, weeks and months following the service, people continue to need others to lean on for understanding, encouragement and guidance. For that reason, many local and national support groups have formed. These groups provide a common place and a comforting environment for expressing emotions through each phase of the grieving process. To learn more, click on the links below, or discuss grief counseling and support options with your funeral director.

 Reading Resources

Books for You and Your Family

• "Understanding Grief, Helping Yourself Heal" - Alan Wolfelt
• "Living When A Loved One Has Died" - Earl Grollman
• "Concerning Death: A Practical Guide for the Living" - Earl Grollman
• "Talking About Death: A Dialogue Between Parent and Child" - Earl Grollman
• "When Children Hurt" - Earl Grollman
• "What Helped Me When My Loved One Died" - Earl Grollman
• "Death: The Final Stage of Growth" - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
• "Living with Death and Dying" - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
• "On Death and Dying" - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
• "Don't Take My Grief Away" Doug Manning
• "Listen to the Heart" - Geeri Howe
• "Our Greatest Gift: A Meditation on Dying and Caring" - Henri Nouwen
• "Living Through Mourning: Finding Comfort and Hope When a Loved One Had Died" - Harriett Schiff
• "How to Survive the Loss of a Love" - Melba H. Colgrove
• "The Mourning After: How to Manage Grief Wisely" - Stanley P. Cornils
• "Understanding Mourning: A Guide for Those Who Grieve" - Religion and Medicine Series of Augsburg Publishing House

Additional Reading Sources

• "Recovering From the Loss of a Loved One" - Kathleen Fair
• "Explaining Death to Children" - edited by Earl A. Grollman. With an introd. by Louise Bates Ames
• "Straight Talk About Death for Teenagers: How to Cope With Losing Someone You Love" - Earl A. Grollman
• "Bereaved Children and Teens: A Support Guide for Parents and Professionala" - Earl A. Grollman
• "On Children and Death" - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
• "The Wheel of Life: A Memoir of Living and Dying" - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

 Web Sites For Support

The internet is a terrific reference resource with a variety of grief and support sites. Some offer support and advice, other pages provide an opportunity to anonymously memorialize loved ones and some sites are open discussions.

Here is just a sampling of what's available:

• Batesville Casket Company's grief section
• National Funeral Director's Association
• Dr. Alan Wolfelt and his Center for Loss and Life Transition
• National Public Radio
• International Order of the Golden Rule
• Yahoo's grief-related index