Are you like Christiana?
Have you suffered a loss that left you struggling with grief? Death and loss can bring up feelings of isolation, anger, or despair. Part of building strong, sustainable communities is ensuring that individuals and families have the support they need after tragedy strikes. Organizations in Baltimore City and nearby offer a wide range of services to help you cope with mourning and can connect you to others who are going through similar experiences…
Roberta’s House is a Grief and Loss Center that works to restore children and families to a place of wholeness after the loss of a loved one by teaching healthy coping skills that lead to positive outcomes.
They offer a variety of grief counseling programs:
- Adult Support Groups include Adult Bereavement programs and Family Programs for adults with children.
- Children Support Groups serve children from ages 5-17.
- The Homicide Transformation Project works with victims of homicide to “identify the cultural uniqueness, stereotypes and gaps in services that impact the recovery and resiliency of African Americans as well as validate the development of additional needed support services.”
- Camp Erin Baltimore is a summer camp that provides grief support for children and teens.
The Family Center in Ellicott City offers solutions-oriented grief and loss counseling that encompasses not only the loss of loved ones, but also the loss of dreams and opportunities.
Gilchrist offers short-term grief counseling free of charge to members of the community who have lost a loved one through Gilchrist Hospice Care. They also offer support groups, an annual Bereavement Spring Retreat, and an annual Wellness Day to teach new coping skills and build a renewed sense of hope for the future.
In addition to providing 13 months of bereavement counseling to family members of hospice patients, Caroll Hospice offers a range of support groups that are free and open to any members of the public.
- Their Bereavement Resource Center, also open to the public, features more than 500 books, videos and DVDs on grief, loss, caregiving and more that can be borrowed for up to a month’s time.
Surviving Loss from Suicide/Homicide is a bereavement group focused on support and coping that meets with a counselor weekly at Ruscombe Mansion.
Family Bereavement Center is a program of the State’s Attorney’s Office for Baltimore City, offering coordinated services, including grief counseling and other resources, to family members of homicide victims in Baltimore City.
SEASONS is a free peer-facilitated suicide grief support group that meets monthly in Lutherville.
Bereaved Parents of the USA’s Baltimore Metropolitan Chapter offers free monthly meetings. This nondenominational self-help support group consists of bereaved parents helping other bereaved parents and their families cope with the death of a child.
The Counseling Center at Stella Maris supports individuals who are dealing with grief and loss as well as seeking support while facing an anticipated loss. They offer one-on-one, family, and group services with clinicians experienced in specialized grief counseling.
Share Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support is a community for anyone suffering from the tragic death of a baby. This national organization has a Maryland Chapter that meets at Johns Hopkins.
Compassionate Friends is an organization that supports families who have experienced the loss of a child. There is a Baltimore Chapter.
National Grief Awareness Day is an annual day to organize and support the grieving, as well as spread awareness of grief and resources for grieving people.