Education & Resources

Downloads

Understanding Death, Grief, and Mourning – A Resource Manual
Co –Sponsored by Cornerstone of Hope and Cleveland Clinic

This comprehensive resource provides help for adults, teens, children, and those impacted by grief/bereavement associated with suicide and murder.

Websites

Adults

What's Your Grief - Grief/bereavement education for adults, teens and children; specializing in social media resource sharing including video, music, and articles
Open to Hope - Video interviews, articles, and blogs
Center For Loss & Life Transition - Books and resources through the Alan Wolfelt, PhD, Center for Loss Program
The Grief Recovery Method - Bereavement Support for Adults (Intensive)
Grief Watch - Resources for Bereaved families
The Compassionate Friends - National Bereavement Support Group Locator
Grief Healing - Bereavement support blog
My Grief Angels - Nonprofit online bereavement support and education organization
Grief.com - Provides resources on grieving and lists of grief counselors and support groups
Silent Tears - Facebook group to share personal stories of loss and connect with others
Griefshare.org - Resource to find support groups in your area
LGBTQ Grief Loss Support - Facebook group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer/questioning people to share personal stories and find support

Teens/Children/Families

Weird Is Normal When Teenagers Grieve - Website created by a teen who has experienced loss; helpful website for teens. [Website is no longer active, so this now links to a free pamphlet based off the book of the same name and origin.]
The Dougy Center - The National Center for Grieving Children and Families
HealGrief - Grief support program for college students

Cleveland Clinic Employees

Employee Assistance Program
For Cleveland Clinic Caregivers (employees) and their family members (residing in the employee’s household): Confidential, no-cost counseling services that address a wide range of issues (grief/bereavement, couple counseling, mood disorders, work stress, etc.)

Resources in Spanish

Downloads

¿QUÉ ES EL DUELO? (What is grief?)

Videos

El Poder de Creer en Ti Mismo

Un Mensaje Para Quien Sufre la Pérdida de un Ser Querido

Books

End-of-Life Resources
Recommendations from Hillcrest Spiritual Care Department

Alternative Medicine: The Christian Handbook
Awake at the Bedside: Contemplative Teachings on Palliative and End-of-life Care
Bereavement Training in Perinatal Death
Behref Haymim = In the Winter of Life: A Values-based Jewish Guide for Decision-making at the End of Life
The Conversation: A Revolutionary Plan for End-of-life Care
Conversations in Palliative Care
The Essential Guide to Religious Traditions and Spirituality for Healthcare Providers
Final Acts: The End of Life, Hospice, and Palliative Care
Final Gifts: Understanding the Special Awareness, Needs, and Communications of the Dying
Geriatric Palliative Care: A Practical Guide for Clinicians
The Grief Recovery Handbook
The Healing Gods: Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Christian America
Healing to All their Flesh: Jewish & Christian Perspectives on Spirituality, Theology, & Health
A Hospital Handbook on Multiculturalism and Religion
Lesson Learned on the Journey: Exploring the Realities of Faith through Word and Art
Meditations for Bereaved Parents
On Death and Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy and their Own Families
Oxford Textbook of Spirituality in Healthcare
Paging God: Religion in the Halls of Medicine
Primer of Palliative Care
Psychosocial Issues in Palliative Care
Psychosocial Palliative Care
Religions, Cultures, and Healthcare: A Practical Handbook for use in Healthcare Environments
The Religious Care of the Psychiatric Patient
So What’s the Difference: A Look at 20 Worldviews, Faiths and Religions and How they Compare to Christianity
Spiritual Therapy: How the Physician, Psychiatrist, and Minister Collaborate in Healing
Spirituality and Mental Health Care: Rediscovering a ‘Forgotten’ Dimension
Spirituality, Health, and Healing: An Integrative Approach
Spirituality in Nursing: Standing on Holy Ground
Spirituality in Patient Care: Why, How, When, and What
Textbook of Interdisciplinary Pediatric Palliative Care
Using the Power of Hope to Cope With Dying: The Four Stages of Hope
Why Do We Suffer: New Ways of Understanding
Your Body Speaks your Mind: Decoding the Emotional, Psychological, and Spiritual Messages that Underlie Illness
Write for Life: Healing Body, Mind, and Spirit through Journal Writing

Rights of Mourners

From The Mourner’s Bill of Rights by Alan D. Wolfelt, PhD*

Visit www.centerforloss.com

Though you should reach out to others as you do the work of mourning, you should not feel obligated to accept the unhelpful responses you may receive from some people. You are the one who is grieving, and as such, you have certain “rights” no one should try to take away from you.The following list is intended both to empower you to heal and to decide how others can and cannot help. This is not to discourage you from reaching out to others for help, but rather to assist you in distinguishing useful responses from hurtful ones.

You have the right to experience your own unique grief.
No one else will grieve in exactly the same way you do. So, when you turn to others for help, don’t allow them to tell what you should or should not be feeling.

You have the right to talk about your grief.
Talking about your grief will help you heal. Seek out others who will allow you to talk as much as you want, as often as you want, about your grief. If at times you don’t feel like talking, you also have the right to be silent.

You have the right to feel a multitude of emotions.
Confusion, disorientation, fear, guilt and relief are just a few of the emotions you might feel as part of your grief journey. Others may try to tell you that feeling angry, for example, is wrong. Don’t take these judgmental responses to heart. Instead, find listeners who will accept your feelings without condition.

You have the right to be tolerant of your physical and emotional limits.
Your feelings of loss and sadness will probably leave you feeling fatigued. Respect what your body and mind are telling you. Get daily rest. Eat balanced meals. And don’t allow others to push you into doing things you don’t feel ready to do.

You have the right to experience “grief bursts.”
Sometimes, out of nowhere, a powerful surge of grief may overcome you. This can be frightening, but is normal and natural. Find someone who understands and will let you talk it out.

You have the right to make use of ritual.
The funeral ritual does more than acknowledge the death of someone loved. It helps provide you with the support of caring people. More importantly, the funeral is a way for you to mourn. If others tell you the funeral or other healing rituals such as these are silly or unnecessary, don’t listen.

You have the right to embrace your spirituality.
If faith is a part of your life, express it in ways that seem appropriate to you. Allow yourself to be around people who understand and support your religious beliefs. If you feel angry at God, find someone to talk with who won’t be critical of your feelings of hurt and abandonment.

You have the right to search for meaning.
You may find yourself asking “Why did he or she die? Why this way? Why now?” Some of your questions may have answers, but some may not. And watch out for the clichéd responses some people may give you. Comments like “It was God’s will” or “Think of what you have to be thankful for” are not helpful and you do not have to accept them.

You have the right to treasure your memories.
Memories are one of the best legacies that exist after the death of someone loved. You will always remember. Instead of ignoring your memories, find others with whom you can share them.

You have the right to move toward your grief and heal.
Reconciling your grief will not happen quickly. Remember, grief is a process, not an event. Be patient and tolerant with yourself and avoid people who are impatient and intolerant with you. Neither you nor those around you must forget that the death of someone loved changes your life forever.

*Used with permission

Common Reactions to Grief

Prepared by Capital Hospice (public domain)*

One of the many disturbing aspects of grieving is experiencing a variety of unexpected or seemingly uncontrollable emotions and/or physical sensations. Often individuals who mourn fear that they “are going crazy” or somehow “abnormal” in how they are responding to their loss. It is important for the bereaved to have others validate or normalize these reactions to grief. The following list includes many of the normal responses to the death of a loved one:

Spontaneous crying, often at times where there is no apparent trigger. Individuals sometimes are frightened by the unpredictability of tears.
Mood swings, where a person’s feelings change very quickly. Feelings may range from intense sadness to guilt to anger to numbness. Some of the guilt may be related to feeling angry with the person who has died for leaving.
Disbelief and denial of the loss. Awakening and expecting the person who died to be alive; hearing his or her voice or briefly seeing his or her face; sensing his or her presence.
Difficulty with concentration and memory. Bereaved may not be able to concentrate on reading material; may lose his or her train of thought in the middle of a sentence; may walk into a room and forget why; may lose things or forget appointments. This response seems especially surprising to grieving persons.
Physical reactions may include tightness in throat or heaviness in the chest; an empty or nauseated feeling in the stomach; lack of desire to eat; difficulty sleeping or awakening very early without being able to go back to sleep; dreams about the loved one; lack of energy,fatigue.
Intense preoccupation with the life of the person who has died, including the need to talk about the loved one and the story of his or her illness and death; assuming the person’s mannerisms or traits.
Feel awkwardness with others, not knowing what to say in response to: How are you? and feeling uncertain as to whether others are interested in the person’s grief. Feeling isolated and uncomfortable in social situations where everyone is expected to be happy and celebrating.
Need to review the last days, months or years of the life of the person who has died to try to determine if things should have been done or said differently; trying to understand the “why’s” or “should haves” and feeling some guilt at not having done more.