As COVID-19 continues to spread and claim lives around the world, individuals, families, and communities are grieving — whether grief about the death of a loved one to COVID-19, or anticipatory grief about a loved one’s illness. No one should have to do this alone.
Our mission at the COVID Grief Network is to provide short term grief support and build long term community for young adults who are grieving in the midst of this pandemic.
To see the impact of our work to date, check out our first annual report here.
We offer 3 kinds of support for young adults in their 20s and 30s who’ve lost someone to COVID-19, or have someone close seriously ill with COVID-19. Folks are welcome to request one or all of these kinds of support:
Up to 6 one-on-one sessions with a volunteer grief worker who is willing and able to offer supportive listening. After these sessions, your volunteer grief worker can refer you to local service agencies for long term support, if needed. All sessions will occur by phone or video-conference, and will be confidential.
Crews of 8-12 young adults meet together weekly over 8 weeks. Groups will be facilitated by a volunteer grief worker and will occur by video-conference.
Our private young adult Facebook group is a space for young adults in the network to connect and share their stories and experience. If you’re interested in joining the group, please let us know in your application.
Apply below for support and indicate the offering(s) you’re interested in. If you have questions about whether you are eligible for the network, just go ahead and apply, and we’ll let you know!
Click here for supportIf you are in your 20s and 30s, and you have lost someone to COVID-19, or have a dear friend or family member who is seriously ill with COVID-19, we welcome you to join our community. If you have questions about whether you are eligible, please apply here and we will let you know.
We know that COVID-19 is amplifying systemic inequities that existed before the pandemic, and is hitting communities of color, working class communities, immigrant communities, and other systemically oppressed communities the hardest. As a network, we are committed to centering these truths and conversations in our work and care. We also know that grief support needs to be culturally competent to be useful. We invite young adults to request specific qualities or identities in a care volunteer when that’s important to them, and we work hard to make the network a welcoming and safer space for folks with marginalized identities.
To be very explicit: as a network, we are not offering therapy; We connect those requesting support with individuals who have volunteered to offer support. These connections are not a substitute for clinical mental health care.
If you need immediate help or are in crisis, please contact any of the following 24-hour hotlines:
If you are looking for a therapist, we recommend checking out:
