1) INDIVIDUAL OR GROUP SUPPORT - Montreal area
 

• Good Grief Central:
  Provides loss and grief support, training, education, and counselling. If you are interested in participating in a Good Grief Support Group, please call Natalie Segall at (514) 222-9668 or Jillian Lucht at (514) 826-1810. Space is limited in each group. For more information, visit their website: www.goodgriefcentral.com/grief-support-groups

• Rosa Caporicci - Licensed psychotherapist:
  Offers grief counselling for perinatal loss: stillbirth, miscarriage, pregnancy termination, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). For more information: (514) 266-0531 / info@ndgtherapy.com or visit her website: www.ndgtherapy.com

• Myra’s Kids Foundation:
  - Monthly grief and bereavement support groups for children and teens, and also for parents and extended family, 
  - We Also Mourn (WAM): a group for men who have experienced perinatal loss, still birth, or miscarriage. 
  - Camp Jackie: Offers every summer a free, non-denominational bereavement 3-day camp for children and teenagers, ages 6 to 17, who are grieving a significant death.
  For more information: 514-731-3655 or visit their website: myraskids.ca/en/support-groups-resources

• NOVA West Island:
  Adult and Children Bereavement. Services provided by a team of registered nurses, health aides, program coordinators and volunteers. For more information: 514-695-8335 or visit their website: www.novawi.org/what-we-do

• West Island Women’s Centre:
  Offers support group for women coping with a miscarriage, still birth or infant death. For more information: 514-781-8529 / outreach@wiwc.ca or visit their website: www.wiwc.ca

• Hope & Cope – Jewish General Hospital:
  Offers bereavement Group Support and other services in English for those who have lost a loved one to cancer. For more information: 514-340-8255 or visit their website: hopeandcope.ca

• Family Survivors Of Suicide (FSOS):
  A Montreal based suicide support group, FSOS offers emotional support on overcoming the guilt, anger, depression, and fear that follow in the wake of suicide. It helps survivors to understand the past and lighten the way to a new future. For more information: familysurvivorsofsuicide@gmail.com or visit their website: suicideaftermath.ca

• MADD CANADA:
  Offers series of monthly online support sessions to help victims and survivors of impaired driving to connect with trained facilitators and with others who are experiencing similar losses and challenges. For more information on these sessions or to register: madd.ca/pages/programs/victimsurvivor-services/online-reflection-sessions.
  Also a toll free line at 1-800-665-6233

• MEMORIA:
  Art-therapy bereavement support sessions and also every Monday at 1:30 pm, psychotherapist Michel Trozzo hosts a virtual meeting to help people get through this difficult time. To sign up: causeries@memoria.ca / 514-277-7778 or visit their website: www.memoria.ca/en/bereavement-support

• 211 - Referral service on social and community services
  211 is a free and confidential service to help find social and community resources near you. Dial 211 or visit their website for the online directory: www.211quebecregions.ca/en/directory/custom-directory

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2) HELPLINES AND TALKLINES:

 

• Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
  Helpline for kids and teens; counseling, listening, referrals, info [E/F]

• Tel-Jeunes: 1-800-263-2266 (phone) / 514-600-1002 (text)
  24/7 support and helpline; phone counseling for kids and teens under 20 [E/F]

• Tel-Aide: 514-935-110
  Free, anonymous, non-judgmental listening centre for people in distress. Operates 24/7. [E/F]

• Ligne Parents: 1-800-361-5085
  24/7 phone counseling & support for parents of children & teens [E/F]

• Multi-Écoute: 514-737-3604
  Listening, assistance, psychosocial support, immigrant populations [E/F/S]

• Suicide Action Montreal (SAM): 1-866-277-3553 / 514-723-3594 x 221
  Listening line, education, bereavement support [E/F]

• West Island Crisis Center: 514-684-6160
  Crisis line, counselling, short-term housing, mobile intervention - 24/7 [E/F]

 

 

3) ONLINE RESOURCES
 

   GUIDES

• What to Do in the Event of Death
  The death of a loved one is a trying experience and there are a number of issues you will have to deal with. This guide, prepared by the Government of Québec, provides an overview of the steps you will need to take in the event of a death. To view or download, click here.

• Grieving: A guide for your family and your friends
  This PDF booklet was prepared by the McGill University Health Centre. To view or download, click here.

• Guide for bereaved people during a pandemic
  This PDF booklet was prepared by Formations Monbourquette sur le deuil (Université de Montréal). To view or download, click here.

• Biblio-Santé is a program of the Quebec Public Library Association. Their booklet on bereavement includes many resources (books, films, series, organizations, etc.). Here is the link to view it: bibliosante.ca/cahiers/booklet_bereavement_2023.pdf

 

   WEB SITES 

• Center for Loss & Life Transition was founded in 1984 by Dr. Alan Wolfelt, the Center for Loss and Life Transition is dedicated to “companioning” grieving people as they mourn significant transitions and losses that transform their lives. Click here to acces. 

• Grief.com is David Kessler's website, a world’s foremost expert on grief and loss. He is the author of six books, including the bestselling book, Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. He coauthored two books with Elisabeth Kubler Ross, including On Grief and Grieving. Click here to acces. 

• Grief in Common is a online chat room community where someone who has experienced a loss through death can connect and share with others who may have similar grief experiences. Click here to acces.

• Grieving Maman is a blog created by a grieving mother after the loss of one of her children. She shares her story and the hardships that her family faces and her life as a bereaved mother. Click here to acces.

• HealGrief®, a social support network that is there when everyone else goes away, and the real grieving begins. Everything we do is inspired by our core belief that no one should ever grieve alone. HealGrief® provides the tools and resources to guide one’s journey with grief into a healthy personal growth. Click here to acces.

• Modern Loss is a place to share the unspeakably taboo, unbelievably hilarious, and unexpectedly beautiful terrain of navigating your life after a death. This project grew out of two friends’ separate experiences with sudden loss, and their struggle to find resources that weren’t too clinical, overtly religious, patronizing. Click here to acces.

• MyGrief.ca helps you to understand and work through your grief. It has been developed by a team of national and international grief experts together with people who have experienced significant loss in their own lives. MyGrief.ca is free to Canadian users. Click here to acces.

• My Grief Angels', a social services and human services non profit organization, free grief online course/resources, mobile app and an online volunteer community of people grieving. Click here to acces. 

• OpentoHope.com is an online website to help people find hope after loss by giving a voice to grief and recovery. They encourage the visitors to read, listen and share their stories of hope and compassion. Click here to acces.

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   VIDEOS

• We don't "move on" from grief. We move forward with it by Nora McInerny | TED Talks. 
  In a talk that's by turns heartbreaking and hilarious, writer and podcaster Nora McInerny shares her hard-earned wisdom about life and death. Her candid approach to something that will, let's face it, affect us all, is as liberating as it is gut-wrenching. Most powerfully, she encourages us to shift how we approach grief. "A grieving person is going to laugh again and smile again," she says. "They're going to move forward. But that doesn't mean that they've moved on." Click here to view. 

• The Adventure of Grief: Dr Geoff Warburton | TEDxBrighton. 
  Psychologist, writer and innovator, Geoff Warburton has spent the last 25 years studying love and loss. Geoff challenges conventional apathy about grief and loss by offering an approach that evokes curiosity, openness and compassion. His approach synthesises Eastern wisdom traditions, in-depth psychology and common sense. Click here to view. 

• Everything around them is still there, dealing with sudden loss by Marieke Poelmann | TEDxUtrecht. 
  In 2010, Marieke Poelmann, 22 at the time, suddenly lost her parents as a result of a plane crash. It took her several years to see that bad things in life do not necessarily have to define you. In her talk she discusses her loss and how she learned to cope with it, and as a result came out a stronger person. Click here to view. 

• Lost Innocence: Dealing with the Death of a Young Child by the University of Calgary & Calgary Pediatric Palliative Care and Grief Service. 
  In this video you will meet three parents who have experienced the death of a young child. The parents speak openly about their children and the many grief experiences they have encountered. The video will be helpful for bereaved parents and their family, friends and professionals to gain insight into the unique experiences associated with such a loss. Click here to view. 

• Silently Suffering After Pregnancy Loss by Cassandra Blomberg | TEDxSDMesaCollege.
  In this powerful and emotional talk, Cassandra Blomberg combines her personal journey through pregnancy loss with research on miscarriage and stillbirth to explain why we need to break the silence surrounding this topic. Click here to view. 

• Teens Talk About Grief by Chris Davis & Christine Jonas-Simpson. 
  Dealing with grief when you are a teen is difficult. These videos include the experiences of six teens. They talk about what they have learned and offer good advice to those going through loss.This non-profit project was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (Canada) and supported by the Toronto chapter of Bereaved Families of Ontario. Click here to view. 

 

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4) BOOKS

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• The Year of Magical Thinking 
  by Joan Didion  
  From one of America’s iconic writers, a stunning book of electric honesty and passion. Joan Didion explores an intensely personal yet universal experience: a portrait of a marriage--and a life, in good times and bad--that will speak to anyone who has ever loved a husband or wife or child.

• The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages
  by Leo Buscaglia 
  The beloved classic from New York Times bestselling author Leo Buscaglia that has helped thousands of children and adults come to grips with life and death. Appropriate for all ages—from toddlers to adults—and featuring beautiful nature photographs throughout, this poignant, thought-provoking story follows Freddie and his companions as their leaves change with the passing seasons and the coming of winter, finally falling to the ground with winter's snow.  An inspiring allegory that illustrates the delicate balance between life and death, The Fall of Freddie the Leaf has helped a generation of readers navigate death and dying, grief and bereavement, the passage of time, and loss of a loved one.

• How To Go On Living When Someone You Love Dies 
  by Therese A. Rando  
  Mourning the death of a loved one is a process all of us will go through at one time or another. But wherever the death is sudden or anticipated, few of us are prepared for it or for the grief it brings. There is no right or wrong way to grieve;  each person's response to loss will be different. In this compassionate, comprehensive guide, Therese A. Rando, leads you gently through the painful but necessary process of grieving and helps you find the best way for yourself.

• Modern Loss: Candid Conversation About Grief. Beginners Welcome
  by Rebecca Soffer  and Gabrielle Birkner  Inspired by the website that the New York Times hailed as "redefining mourning," this book is a fresh and irreverent examination into navigating grief and resilience in the age of social media, offering comfort and community for coping with the mess of loss through candid original essays from a variety of voices, accompanied by gorgeous two-color illustrations and wry infographics.

• I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye: Surviving, Coping and Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One by Brook Noel  and Pamela D Blair Ph.D. 
  Whether you're grieving the sudden loss of a loved one or helping someone else through their grief, this book offers a comforting hand to help guide you through the grieving process, from the first few weeks to the longer-term emotional and physical effects. It then reveals some of the myths of the grieving process and what really happens as you navigate through the pain.

• The Invisible String 
  by Patrice Karst Parents
  Educators, therapists, and social workers alike have declared The Invisible String the perfect tool for coping with all kinds of separation anxiety, loss, and grief. In this relatable and reassuring contemporary classic, a mother tells her two children that they're all connected by an invisible string. "That's impossible!" the children insist, but still they want to know more: "What kind of string?" The answer is the simple truth that binds us all: An Invisible String made of love. Even though you can't see it with your eyes, you can feel it deep in your heart, and know that you are always connected to the ones you love. This heartwarming picture book for all ages explores questions about the intangible yet unbreakable connections between us, and opens up deeper conversations about love.

• Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss, and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief 
  by Dr. Joanne Cacciatore  
  This book is for anyone dealing with the traumatic death of a loved one and is general enough to apply to most relationships whether you are dealing with the loss of a child, spouse, or friend. Organized into fifty-two short chapters, Bearing the Unbearable is a companion for life’s most difficult times, revealing how grief can open our hearts to connection, compassion, and the very essence of our shared humanity. Dr. Joanne Cacciatore—bereavement educator, researcher, Zen priest, and leading counselor in the field—accompanies us along the heartbreaking path of love, loss, and grief. Through moving stories of her encounters with grief over decades of supporting individuals, families, and communities—as well as her own experience with loss—Cacciatore opens a space to process, integrate, and deeply honor our grief.

• The Orphaned Adult: Understanding And Coping With Grief And Change After The Death Of Our Parents by Alexander Levy  
  Losing our parents when we ourselves are adults is in the natural order of things, a rite of passage into true adulthood. But whether we lose them suddenly or after a prolonged illness, and whether we were close to or estranged from them, this passage proves inevitably more difficult than we thought it would be. From the recognition of our own mortality and sudden child-like sorrow to a sometimes-subtle change in identity or shift of roles in the surviving family, The Orphaned Adult guides readers through the storm of change this passage brings and anchors them with its compassionate and reassuring wisdom.

• Surviving the Death of a Sibling: Living Through Grief When an Adult Brother or Sister Dies 
  by T.J. Wray  
  Based on the author's own experiences, as well as those of many others, this book helps adults who have lost a brother or sister to realize that they are not alone in their struggle. Just as important, it teaches them to understand the unique stages of their grieving process, offering practical and prescriptive advice for dealing with each stage.

• A Parent's Guide to Raising Grieving Children: Rebuilding Your Family after the Death of a Loved One by Phyllis R. Silverman  
  When children lose someone they love, they lose part of their very identity. Life, as they knew it, will never be quite the same. The world that once felt dependable and safe may suddenly seem a frightening, uncertain place, where nobody understands what they're feeling. This deeply sympathetic book offers wise guidance on virtually every aspect of childhood loss, from living with someone who's dying to preparing the funeral; from explaining death to a two year old to managing the moods of a grieving teenager; from dealing with people who don't understand to learning how and where to get help from friends, therapists, and bereavement groups; from developing a new sense of self to continuing a relationship with the person who died. Throughout, the authors advocate an open, honest approach, suggesting that our instinctive desire to "protect" children from the reality of death may be more harmful than helpful.

• The Empty Chair: Handling Grief on Holidays and Special Occasions 
  by Susan J. Zonnebelt-Smeenge and Robert C. De Vries. 
  Whether you've lost a spouse, parent, child, friend, or sibling, The Empty Chair: Handling Grief on Holidays and Special Occasions invites you to journey through grief toward life-giving healing. You'll learn how to incorporate new traditions on special days like anniversaries and birthdays, create memorials that honor and affirm your loved one's life, rebuild your individual sense of identity, and more. Most of all, you'll discover a new sense of joy that can become a special part of future holidays.