I Am Grieving a Death

Losing a loved one can be a profound experience

At Hospice Peterborough, we recognize that grief is a natural and individual process. Our grief support programs are designed to provide a comforting space for individuals to explore their emotions, share their stories, and find healing in community.

Whether you have recently experienced a loss or are still processing the grief of a past loss, our programs are here to offer guidance and understanding. Our dedicated team is committed to providing a range of resources tailored to your unique needs.

Hospice Peterborough is here to walk alongside you, offering empathy, comfort, and the tools to navigate the path of grief with hope and resilience.

Grief Chat for the Recently Bereaved

A group for those who have recently experienced the death of someone significant to them. This twice-monthly group offers a flexible format where bereaved individuals can connect with others who have experienced a loss. Daytime and evening program times are available.

Adult Grief Recovery Groups

Adult Grief Recovery Groups are for those who have experienced the death of a loved one at least three to six months before the start of a group. The content each week builds on the content of the week prior, and the sessions are led by experienced facilitators at Hospice.

The grief recovery program has three levels. Grief recovery level one is a 10-week program which offers a safe place to share and express feelings and experiences and to move forward through grief. Level two is a 12-week program that continues the learning and examines some of the more complex aspects of grief and recovery including: finding identity, new relationships, and identifying healthy and unhealthy belief systems. Level three is a monthly group where people who have completed level two can drop in to receive ongoing support and encouragement.

Complex Grief Support

Complex Grief Support is delivered through our Supportive Care – Grief Counsellors and provides a short-term, grief-specific counselling service for individuals experiencing significant difficulty following a particularly traumatic or complex loss. This includes deaths that are sudden, unexpected, violent, or “out of order” (i.e., outside of expected life course timing), such as the death of a child or the loss of a parent or sibling in young adulthood. The program supports immediate family members, including spouses, parents, children, and siblings.

All referrals begin with an assessment appointment conducted by a trained clinician to determine current needs and suitability for service. This assessment helps ensure appropriate matching to service level and may also identify alternative or additional supports if required.

When appropriate, clients may receive short-term counselling focused on grief, typically ranging from six to twelve sessions. The focus is on stabilization, grief processing, and development of coping strategies.

Children and Teen Support

Hospice Peterborough can offer limited one-to-one support to parents, children and teens grieving the death of someone they love. The Family and Child Life Specialist supports parents to understand and respond to their child or teen’s grief. After connecting with the parent(s), children and teens are invited to come to Hospice and participate in expressive arts and play based activities to help them understand their grief.

For children and teens who are already receiving support services in the school or community, the Family and Child Life Specialist is available to connect with staff in these services to add a grief component while continuing to ensure consistency in service for the child or teen.

Children and Teen Grief Programs

Hospice offers Grief programs including grief groups and retreats for children and teens. These programs connect children and teens with other children and teens who are grieving to share feelings and experiences. Activities in the group help them to understand and manage their feelings and behaviours around grief. Often there is a program happening for parents at the same time which helps to connect them with other parents and helps them to understand their child or teen’s grief.

Parent Group

The death of a child shakes the natural order of life. This monthly group led by skilled facilitators is designed to be a safe space for parents who have experienced the death of a child to gather and connect with other parents.

Moving With Grief

Some people don’t want to sit still in a grief group. Moving with grief is an accessible group which is always held at a site that is able to accommodate walkers or wheelchairs. It is not an exercise group but rather a group where you can be with other people in grief and where you can talk about that grief with compassionate volunteers if you wish.

Becoming Myself After My Loss

This program uses guided writing and reflective exercises to help individuals process loss, explore emotions, and make meaning of their grief. The program creates space for personal expression, healing, and connection with others through the shared experience of writing. The sessions run for 8 weeks twice per year.

Survivors of Suicide Loss

The Survivors of Suicide Loss Group is a structured support program for individuals as they navigate the changes in their life following the death of someone they love by suicide.

Unspoken Loss Group

(offered in partnership with the Peterborough Community Health Centre)
A 6 week specialized grief support group for individuals grieving a death related to drug poisoning or substance use. The program offers a safe, compassionate space to process complex grief, reduce isolation, and connect with others who share a similar experience.

Supporting the Body in Grief: A Restorative Workshop

A grief support program that recognizes grief as both an emotional and physical experience. Using body-based practices such as movement, grounding, and mindfulness, the program helps participants process grief, reconnect with their bodies, and build coping strategies in a supportive group setting.

Nature-Based Grief Retreats

Hospice Peterborough’s single day nature-based grief retreats provide grief support in a natural setting for individuals and families navigating loss. These retreats combine peer connection, guided reflection, ceremony, therapeutic activities, and time in nature to support healing and meaning-making. The retreat model offers a unique alternative to traditional group support by creating space for deeper reflection, emotional expression, and restoration. Retreats are offered in spring, summer and fall at the beautiful Tecasy Ranch. Retreats have been offered for specific populations including families, widow/widowers, those who have experienced a death by suicide or overdose, bereaved parents, and those who experienced perinatal or infant loss.

Resources

Please visit our Resource page for a list of reputable websites where you can find information about grief. You are always welcome to call, drop-in or email us with questions about hospice palliative care and grief.

Other Programs, Learn More, Registration and Referral

Hospice programming continues to evolve. Please subscribe to the Hospice Newsletter or follow us on social media to find out about new grief programs.

To find out more or register for a group please contact our Intake Coordinators at intake@hospicepeterborough.org or 705-742-4042.