Grief support

Mission Hospice offers bereavement support for those who are grieving or facing the death of a loved one. We can help you:

  • Learn about the grief process
  • Express your feelings of grief
  • Discover how to use natural strengths to get through this difficult time
  • Talk about loved ones who have died
  • Sort through the stresses and anxieties that may come with new roles and responsibilities
  • Uncover the potential for growth and transformation following loss

Grief support groups

Mission Hospice professionals host free grief support groups open to the community.  Although the groups are free of charge, donations are gratefully accepted. Schedules are subject to change; check the latest group meetings schedule in our Community Connections guide or our online calendar, or call 650.554.1000 for more information.

Free drop-in grief support groups
Everyone is welcome; no RSVP needed.
 
  • Tuesday evenings 6-7:30pm*
  • 1st and 3rd Saturdays 10-11:30am, led by Tracie Pyers, MSW
  • 2nd and 4th Saturdays 10-11:30am, Group for Widows and Widowers, led by Tracie Pyers, MSW
*The outside doors to the Mission Hospice office building now lock at 5:30 p.m. on weekdays. To access the support group after hours, please use the FRONT DOOR to the building, near the handicapped parking.
 
  • 2nd and 4th Thursdays, 6-7:30pm, led by Lynne Siracusa, LCSW
 
Specialized support groups
Everyone is welcome; registration is required. These semi-structured support groups meet in our San Mateo office for about 8 weeks. For details and to register, call 650.554.1000.
 
• Parent Loss Support Group
• Spouse/Partner Loss Support Group
• Resilience in Grief: From Surviving to Thriving Support Group
• Grief and the Holidays Support Group
• Writing Through Loss Support Group
• Suicide Loss Support Group
 
Workshops
Everyone is welcome; registration is required. These workshops meet in our San Mateo office. For details and to register, call 650.554.1000.
 
• Art for healing through grief workshop series
• Grief & stuff workshop: Organizing belongings after loss
 

Individual grief counseling

Mission Hospice & Home Care also offers individual and family counseling sessions to support patients and family members. Family members of our hospice clients receive eight free sessions; additional sessions, or counseling for members of the public, are $100/session or sliding scale.

Counseling for complicated grief

It is natural to feel intense grief when someone close dies, but for people with complicated grief more than a year after the loss, it is hard to focus on the present and future. People with complicated grief have things that get in the way of the natural process of adapting to a loss. They might struggle with troubling thoughts, excessive avoidance of reminders of the loss, and difficulty managing painful emotions.

Mission Hospice offers an evidence-based treatment for complicated grief. Dr. Katherine Shear, founder of the Center for Complicated Grief at Columbia University, has developed a 16-week intensive treatment proven to help adults suffering from complicated grief. Our bereavement counselors offer this structured grief therapy, using Dr. Shear’s model. Fees are $150 per session, with a sliding scale as needed.

Other bereavement support

  • Free phone support, resources, and referral
  • Lending library with a wide selection of books for adults and children in our San Mateo office
  • Play therapy for grieving children ages five and older
  • Inservice training on coping with grief for facility staff
  • Annual Day of Remembrance

To find out more about our grief counseling services for adults and children, please contact us.

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