Grief is a natural response to the loss of someone or something very dear to us.  Anyone can experience grief and loss, but each person is unique in how he or she copes with these feelings. The single most important factor in healing from loss is having the support of other people. Most especially, support from those with experience in dealing with personal loss can help ease the pain and promote healing.  Resources for such grief support are provided on this page.

Note: Because grief is a normal emotional reaction, it is not a pathological condition.  Individuals experience and express such losses in their own way and time, and there is no right or wrong way to grieve.  But there are more healthy or helpful means of expressing and coping with the painful feelings, ones that eventually allow healing and recovery.  It’s normal to feel sad, numb, or angry following a major loss such as the death of a loved one.  Feelings of grief can linger long after the loss, arising during anniversaries or at unexpected times.  But eventually, these emotions become less intense as you accept the loss and start to move forward.  If your grief-related thoughts, behaviors, or feelings are extremely distressing, unrelenting, or interfering with daily functioning for an extended period of time, it can be a sign that your grief has developed into a more serious problem, such as complicated grief or major depression.  Whether your grief is new, or has not eased over time and is becoming a concern, it can be helpful to seek support from persons or organizations experienced in the grief process.

Contents on this page:

1.Grief Support Resources in Santa Clara County
    1. Centre for Living with Dying
    2. Hospice of the Valley
    3. KARA
    4. Pathways Hospice
    5. Heart of Hope Asian American Hospice Care
    6. GriefShare
    7. The Compassionate Friends of Santa Clara County
    8. County Grief Support Resources Booklet (English, Spanish, Vietnamese)
    9. On-line Grief Support Resources
2.Issue-Specific Grief Support
  1. Suicide
  2. Death from Substance/Drug Overdose
  3. Violent Death/Murder
  4. Neonatal Death
  5. Death of Parent
  6. Animal Grief Support Resources

1. Grief Support Resources in Santa Clara County

1.1. Centre for Living with Dying

Centre for Living with Dying – Call: 408-850-6145      Note:  Closed as of December 2025
The Centre for Living with Dying™ therapeutic program serves children, adolescents, and adults who are dealing with grief and loss. Individual and small group grief support is available for adults, children, teens and families. Fees are on a sliding scale. The Centre also offers community crisis intervention.

To receive services: Contact our Centralized Intake Department please call (408) 850-6145 Monday through Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. or REGISTER ONLINE. A Centralized Intake Department team member will respond to you within two business days. Support services offered include:

  • Healing Heart – Family Grief Groups
    The Healing Heart group is intended for families with children who have lost a loved one.
  • Critical Community Response Team & Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) – This team provides immediate crisis intervention along with personal and professional support to first responders, families students, teachers, community organizations following critical incidents such as natural disasters, mass shootings or other emergencies.

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1.2. Hospice of the Valley

Sutter Health Hospice of the Valley – Call: 408-559-5614
12930 Saratoga Avenue, Suite A2, Saratoga, CA 95070

The Hospice of the Valley Center for Grief and Loss offers short-term counseling and support to help guide you through the grief process. Our services include one-on-one counseling, workshops and support groups for all ages and situations. We also provide emotional and spiritual support before an anticipated loss and can assist after traumatic events in schools or workplaces.

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1.3. KARA

KARA – Call: 650-321-5272 or submit contact form.
Located in the North Bay/Palo Alto: 457 Kingsley Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301

Kara provides support for adults, children and organizations anticipating or grieving a death. Group and one-to-one peer support services are donation-based and therapy services are provided for a reasonable fee. Service options may include both in-person and telehealth (phone or video meetings) support services.

  • Individual Peer Support – Adults can receive individual sessions with one of Kara’s volunteer peer counselors.
  • Peer Support Groups – Regularly scheduled ongoing groups as well as drop-in adult grief groups are offered for specific losses such as suicide, adult siblings, spouse/partner, parents grieving the death of a child. Regularly scheduled ongoing groups as well as drop-in groups for adults are offered throughout the year through in-person and online format
  • Grief Therapy – Sliding-scale fee-based professional psychotherapy is offered to bereaved adults, teens, children, couples and families whose loss is complicated by higher degrees of trauma, and/or additional relational or emotional circumstances.
  • Peer Support Groups for Children, Teens and Parents – These groups provide a safe and supportive environment to meet others who have experienced the death of a parent, caregiver, or significant family member. Family members are placed into concurrent groups as space permits by considering age, who died, and how that person died.
  • Crisis Response and Training & Education for schools, community organizations and businesses dealing with tragedy, trauma and loss.

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1.4. Pathways Hospice

Pathways Home Health & Hospice – Call: 888-755-7855   Email: bereavement@pathwayshealth.org
585 North Mary Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94085

Pathways opens its bereavement services to anyone in the community who has experienced the loss of a loved one within the last 13 months, whether they had hospice care or not. Although our bereavement support is at no cost, we encourage donations to the Pathways Foundation to ensure that we can always continue to provide grief support. Pathways has an array of bereavement services to help people as they navigate this new territory without their loved one:

  • Grief Counseling – Grief counseling begins for many people with a call to Pathways for bereavement support after the death of a loved one. Our bereavement therapists have had extensive training and experience and have the passion to help those in grief.
  • Grief Support Groups – 6-week Grief support group sessions are held throughout the year with many groups beginning the second week of September through early June and some through the summer. Pathways has support groups for Parent Loss, Adult Child Loss, and general loss.
  • Memorial Events –
    • Celebration of Light Memorial Service  Each December, we remember our loved ones with music, readings, reflections and a candle-lighting ritual that highlights the importance of light in six major faith traditions.
    • Afternoon of Remembrance Memorial Service  In May, with the ushering in of Memorial Day, graduations, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, we are often reminded of the absence of a loved one. Pathways offers a time to come together through music, readings, reflections and collectively creating a large flower bouquet.

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1.5. Heart of Hope Asian American Hospice Care

Heart of Hope Asian American Hospice Care – Call: 408-986-8584
1879 Lundy Ave, suite #223 San Jose, CA 95131

Heart of Hope Asian American Hospice Care offers bereavement services targeted to the Asian American south bay community, regardless of whether or not the loved one is or was a hospice patient. HHAAHC provides culturally and linguistically competent pre- and post-bereavement support through free individual and family counseling, home visit, telephone contact, and support groups.

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1.6. GriefShare

GriefShare – Call: 800-395-5755  Email: info@griefshare.org
GriefShare offers Christian support for those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Support groups meet weekly, either in-person or online. They offer a compassionate community of support. The support groups include three elements: video seminar from experts, group discussion, and personal study for reflection. Find the GriefShare Group nearest to you.

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1.7. The Compassionate Friends of Santa Clara County

The Compassionate Friends of Santa Clara County  Call: 408-410-3148
If you are a member (or a friend) of a family that has suffered the death of a child, The Compassionate Friends is here to help you and provide support for the family.

  • Santa Clara Monthly Support Group (for people who have suffered the death of a child) – 1st Tuesday of each month, 7:30 pm at St. Justin’s School (Resource Center), 2655 Homestead Rd, Santa Clara CA 95051
    Contact: 408-410-3148 or Email: judy@lombardodrilling.com
    The Compassionate Friends also offers “virtual chapters” through an Online Support Community (live chats).

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1.9. On-line Grief Support Resources

HelpGuide.org Coping with Grief and Loss – A comprehensive article on understanding the grief process.  It describes grief and its common symptoms, myths and facts, tips on coping with grief and when to seek help.

HealGrief – a social support network inspired by a core belief that no one should ever grieve alone. The HealGrief website provides comprehensive tools and resources to guide one’s journey with grief into healthy personal growth.

Grieving.com – A forum resource for people to connect with others and share stories of loss and healing. The forum has more than 45,000 active members and features topics ranging from terminal illness and sudden death to the loss of a pet.

Complicated Grief – Compares acute and complicated grief, and lists the warning signs and symptoms that suggest acute grief has progressed to major depression or complicated grief.

The Compassionate Friends – A nationwide nonprofit organization,  designed to support and give resources to families who are coping with the death of a child. In addition to its wealth of information about healing grief, TCF holds national and regional conferences, facilitates online and in-person support groups for grieving families, and broadcasts a weekly web-radio series.

National Alliance for Grieving Children – A nationwide platform that connects professionals, consumers, and volunteers whose mission is to support children and teens through the grieving process. NAGC offers online education, a searchable support group database, and hosts an annual symposium about child grief.

Bereaved Parents of the USA – Group that connects grieving parents with other bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings for one-on-one support. The site offers a newsletter, articles and poems, and many resources and links for grieving families to guide them through the grieving process. It also hosts an annual gathering where bereaved parents can share their stories with others and participate in grief workshops.

Soaring Spirits International – National support organizations for widows and widowers.  Has newly widowed information packets, support groups, online communities and widow pen pals.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention – National group that funds research, offers educational programs, advocates for public policy, and supports those affected by suicide.

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2. Issue-Specific Grief Support

2.1. Suicide

* Note: For people who are grieving loved ones who died via suicide (not for people who have themselves attempted suicide)

Sutter Health Hospice of the Valley Suicide Loss Support Group – 
Call: (408) 559-5614   Email:  info@hospicevalley.org
This free weekly suicide support group is offered in repeating 6-week sessions, facilitated by a licensed MFT.

KARA Suicide Survivors Group  – Call (650) 321-5272 or Submit Online Form
**NEW** Designed for adults who have experienced the death of a significant relationship due to suicide. The group occurs a few times per year, runs for 12 sessions and has been offered in both in-person and online formats. As this is a closed group (the same participants attending each session) we require an intake to learn more about you, your grief, and what meaningful support means to you. No fee but donations are suggested. Contact office for more information about current offerings.

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2.2. Death from Substance/Drug Overdose

GRASP (Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing) was created to offer understanding, compassion, and support for those who have lost someone they love through addiction and overdose. GRASP offers support, direction and a helping hand via the GRASP Facebook group, and through local chapter groups.

GRASP San Jose Chapter Support Group
1st Wednesday of each month, 6:30 – 8:00 pm. (Please contact facilitator for exact location.)
Facilitator: Konne Ainsworth
Email Address: teacherkonne@yahoo.com
Primary Phone Number:(408) 718-9284

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2.3. Violent Death/Murder

 The National Organization of Parents Of Murdered Children is a national non-profit self-help organization designed solely to offer emotional support and information about surviving the loss of a loved one to murder.

Parents of Murdered Children Peninsula/South Bay Support Group –
2nd Monday of Month, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
The Center for Creative Living, 1460 Koll Circle #C, San Jose, CA 95112   (Please park and enter in back for easy access)
Contact: Colette Krinock  (408) 396-7659, or twinone58@comcast.net

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2.4. Neonatal Death

Helping After Neonatal Death (HAND) of the Bay Area –

  • If you’re a grieving parent in need of support, please call HAND at (650) 367-6993.
  • HAND of the Bay Area offers several different types of on-line and in-person meetings to support bereaved parents at all stages of loss and grief. All meetings are peer-led and free of charge.

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2.5. Death of Parent

**NEW** Two Daughters Foundation offers free peer grief support to young adults (age 18-39) who have lost a parent or parental figure.

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2.6. Animal Grief Support Resources

Humane Society Silicon Valley Companion Animal Loss Support Group
 1st Tuesday of the month 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (offered virtually only)
RSVP to Vicki vickioliveriomft@gmail.com for instructions on how to call in.
Anyone who has experienced a loss or anticipates such a loss is invited to attend the HSSV Companion Animal Loss Support Group. The group helps grieving pet owners heal the pain by working through their feelings of loss, anger, and depression. You may attend an unlimited number of meetings and are encouraged to return to help others work through their grief even after your own needs are met. This service is provided at no fee for our community; however, we welcome donations to help provide lifesaving services for our animals here at the shelter.

Animal grief support web sites:

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