Supporting Family Members With Severe Grief Reaction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

"Family members who experience loss will be invited to attend a virtual support group (VSG) led by Bereaved Families of Ontario- Ottawa (BFO). In pre-COVID-19 times, BFO presented monthly Support and Share nights with guest speakers, followed by breakout peer support groups for all different types of losses: loss of child, spouse, parent, loss by suicide, etc. These groups are facilitated by trained volunteers with a shared loss and include between 75 and 150 participants. These Support and Share Nights serve as intake sessions- interested participants from the breakout groups can attend Closed Groups where a smaller group of participants (up to 12) explore their grief more deeply. These run over 8-10 consecutive weeks with the same group of participants. They are led by trained facilitators who have experienced similar losses. Each week has a different theme, based on evidence-based components of bereavement support (e.g. writing a letter to the deceased)."