Grief Support in the Chicagoland Area

Grieving is a Process

Grieving literally causes changes in your brain that result in changes in behavior, such as

NBC created this explanatory video, which also offers ideas to help.
View the video

If you are grieving, you do not have to face it alone. Below is a collection of grief support organizations and resources in the greater Chicago area, including virtual and in-person groups, peer communities, retreats, and professional counseling services. This list includes contact details, types of services, payment info, and website URLs where available.

Joyful Again! encourages you to reach out to a group or organization as you feel the need to talk to someone. The list is provided as a resource to those who are grieving.

• Advocate Health

  Type & Payment: Virtual, Free

  Information: Advocate Hospice provides a variety of grief support groups offered online through Zoom invites. All classes and events are free and open to community as well. Copy & paste the link below in your web browser to see Advocate’s available classes and events. Website: advocatehealth.com

• Center For Grief Recovery & Therapeutic Services

  Type & Payment: Virtual & In-person, Insurance/Cost

  Information: This is a site that is for a private grief therapist located on the North side of Chicago. The Center utilizes the services of a wide range of professionals, including social workers, psychologists, and counselors. Our value statement is grounded in the belief that self-awareness evokes the ability to give and receive love, express compassion toward self and others, and sustain growth and learning. Website: griefcounselor.org

• Grief Share

  Type & Payment: In-person, Free

  Information: This is a link to in-person support groups with a different organization. They are a Christian organization so there may be some of those themes mentioned occasionally. You put your zip code in and it shows your local groups, for free as well. Website: griefshare.org

• Joyful Again!

  Type & Payment: In-person

  Information: Joyful Again! is a retreat for widows and widowers. It is run by individuals who’ve also been widowed. It’s a 2-day commitment that can help you move forward toward psychological, spiritual and emotional wholeness. Website: joyfulagain.org

• Meet-Up

  Type & Payment: In-person, Free

  Information: This is NOT a professional organization but rather an online forum for connecting with others with similar interests. It’s not just used for fun activities and hangouts. Many widow and other grief groups post on Meetup to arrange local events, support groups, and more. Search “widow support + your city”. Website: meetup.com

• Modern Widows Club

  Type & Payment: In-person & Virtual Offered, Free & Cost

  Information: The Modern Widow’s club is a nationwide organization for anyone who has lost a partner/spouse. They offer both virtual support and in-person events/groups. They offer everything from grief education groups to cooking classes to travel opportunities. Website: modernwidowsclub.org

• National Widowers Organization

  Type & Payment: Virtual & In-person options, Free

  Information: National Widowers Organization offers grief support for men who have lost their partner/spouse. They have in-person support groups nationally and virtual ones. They also offer lots of referrals and material specific for men who are grieving. Website: nationalwidowers.org

• Psychology Today (Private Therapist)

  Type & Payment: Virtual & In-person options, Insurance/Costs

  Information: For finding a private grief specific or general therapist, this is the BEST database there is in my opinion. They only post therapist taking new clients, if there is a waitlist, put your name down…better now than wait and wait for something to open up when you could already be on a list. You can filter it by insurance, gender, location, language, telehealth vs in-person, etc. Website: psychologytoday.com

• Psychology Today (Support Groups)

  Type & Payment: Virtual & In-person options, Free & Costs

  Information: This is a great database for alternative, professionally led support groups in your area. Add your zip code to the search box and it should give you a list of different type of grief support groups near you. Be mindful that some may have a small joining fee. Website: psychologytoday.com

• Soaring Spirits International

  Type & Payment: Virtual, Free

  Information: Soaring Spirits offers several programs to address the needs of those who have been widowed. A 12-week program that is research influenced is designed to address the needs of those who have been widowed within the last year. Camp Widow is a virtual or in person gathering. The programs include guest speakers, educational videos, weekly Zoom meetings, and resource sharing related to the specific topic chosen for each meeting. Website: soaringspirits.org

• The Dinner Party

  Type & Payment: Virtual, Free

  Information: The Dinner Party is a platform for grieving 21-45-year-olds to find community, peer-led support, and build lasting relationships. They screen, train, and support a growing network of peer Hosts, and connect them to 10-12 other grievers, who share a similar age, identity, or loss experience through Tables or 1:1 in our Buddy System. Website: thedinnerparty.org

• The Sisterhood of Widows

  Type & Payment: Virtual, Free

  Information: The Sisterhood of Widows is for women grieving their spouse/partner loss. The website offers resources for reading and workbooks. Their most useful link is the Facebook Group for Widows that many people have found community in. It’s a private group that you need to request to join. Website: sisterhoodofwidows.com

Other Local Grief Support for In-Person in the Chicagoland Area

The following is a list of support programs that provide services to bereaved families. I would encourage you to interview the program and ask specific questions regarding the program’s philosophy, group structure, fees, and goals.

After the Death of a Close Family Member (adult or child)

• Adventist St. Thomas Hospice
  Meets in: Burr Ridge (630) 856-6990
  – support group for children, teens and adults. They also have a camp in the summer.
• Buddy’s Place
  Meets in LaGrange (708) 354-5280
  – support groups for families; individuals counseling paid by insurance or sliding scale for persons residing in the area
• Good Mourning/Rainbow Hospice
  Meets in the North Suburbs, Park Ridge (847) 685-9900
  – support groups for children (ages 3-18) and their families
• Hearlight
  (Also offers a Spanish-speaking group, Luz del Corazon, on the Northwest side of Chicago)
  Meets on the North side of Chicago, on the 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month for the English group, and the 1st & 3rd Thursday of the month for Spanish group (773) 975-8829
  – support groups for siblings and parents
• Heart Connection at Little Company of Mary Hospital
  POMC (Parents of Murdered Children) at Little Company of Mary Hospital
  Meets in Evergreen Park (708) 229-5484
  – support groups for children and their families dealing with grief and also a group for parents of murdered children
• Herbie’s Friends/Fox Valley Hospice
  Meets in Geneva (630) 232-2233
  – support groups in various locations in Kane and Kendall counties; short-term individual counseling (2-3 sessions)
• Hospice of Northeastern Illinois-Center for Loss and Hope
  Meets in Barrington and Crystal Lake (847) 381-5599
  – support groups for children and adults in community locations; individual counseling for a sliding scale fee
• Journey Toward Healing/Loyola University Medical Center
  Meets in Maywood (708) 216-1646
  – support groups for children and adults
• Midwest Palliative & Hospice Care Center-Braveheart Center
  Meets in the South Suburbs; Flossmoor, Dolton (708) 283-8150
  – adult support group for adults with children; individual counseling services
• Midwest Palliative and Hospice Care Center
  Meets in the North Suburbs, Glenview, and Lake County, IL (847) 467-7423
  – support groups for children and families; individual and family counseling for a sliding scale fee
• Rainbows
  Programs through local schools and religious institutions (800) 266-3206
• The Companionship/University of Chicago Comer Children’s Hospital
  Meets on the South Side of Chicago near University of Chicago Hospitals (773) 834-1776
  – support group for children, teens and adult caregivers
• Willow House
  Meets in: Arlington Heights, Libertyville, and the Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago (847) 940-0779
  – monthly support groups for children, teens and their adult caregivers

After a Cancer Related Death:

• Cancer Wellness Center Northbrook
  (847) 509-9595
  – programs and activities
• cancercare.org (800) 813-4673
  – telephone counseling and support, online support groups (located in New York, but online available to all)
• Gilda’s Club Chicago
  Noogieland program for children (312) 464-9900
  – support groups and activities
• Kids Connected/Cancer Support Center Homewood
  (708) 798-9171
  – support groups
• Wellness Place Palatine
  (847) 221-2400
  – brief short-term counseling for children and families and referrals

After a Homicide/Murder:

• Homicide Survivors Support Group/Cook County States Attorney Office Chicago
  (773) 869-5321
• POMC (Parents of Murdered Children) at Little Company of Mary Hospital
  Meets in Evergreen Park (708) 229-5484

After a Suicide:

• Journey Towards Healing/Loyola University Medical Center Maywood
  (708) 216-9056
  – support groups
• LOSS (Loving Outreach to Survivors of Suicide)/Catholic Charities Local Chapters
  – support groups; individual and family counseling
• Willow House Wilmette
  (847) 940-0779
  – support group for children, teens, and their families

Individual and Family Counseling:

• The Barr Harris Children’s Grief Center
  Individual counseling and child guidance services to families on a sliding scale of payment in multiple locations.
  Main Number: (312) 922-7474
  Downtown Chicago: (312) 922-7474 Ext. 313
  Highland Park Hospital: (312) 922-7474 Ext. 416
  La Rabida Children’s Hospital (312) 922-7474 Ext. 421
  Little Company of Mary Hospital: (312) 922-7474 Ext. 415
  Riverdale Resource Center: (312) 922-7474 Ext. 430
  Swedish Covenant Hospital: (312) 922-7474 Ext. 428
• Center for Grief Recovery
  Northside of Chicago (773) 274-4600
• Institute for Therapy through the Arts
  Chicago, Evanston, Buffalo Grove (847) 425-9708

Support for Adults after a Death:

• Adventist St. Thomas Hospice
  Meets in Burr Ridge (630) 856-6993
  – Adult loss of parent group
• The Bereavement Program of Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Death of an adult)
  Meets in Chicago (312) 296-6972
  – support groups for adults who had a loss through death; limited individual counseling available
• Chicago Center for Family Health
  Downtown Chicago (312) 372-4731
• Coffee and Comfort – Support Group for the Loss of a Child at any age
  Meets in Orland Park and Lansing (708) 532-4900
• Compassionate Friends (Death of a young child or adult child)
  Call for a group in your area.
  (877) 969-0010 National number Website: compassionatefriends.org
  (219) 662-0902 Valparaiso, Indiana
  (708) 748-6840 Rich Township Center (Richton, IL)
  (708) 748-6940 Little Company of Mary Hospital (Evergreen Park, IL)
  (773) 384-5744 Northside of Chicago area (4350 W. Sunnyside)
  (773) 721-8817 Southside Chicago area (Univ. of Chicago Hospital)
  (815) 544-9864 Northwestern IL Chapter (Belvidere, IL)
• Center for Psychological Services Oak Lawn
  – takes many insurances plans (708) 424-0001
• Horizon Hospice
  Meets in River North neighborhood of Chicago (312) 733-8900
  – support group for adults grieving the loss of spouse/significant other, and loss of parent
• Hyde Park Grief Support Group
  (312) 733-8900
  – support group for adults grieving the loss of spouse/significant other
• Illinois Masonic Behavioral Health Services
  Northside of Chicago (773) 296-3220
• Journey Toward Healing/Loyola University Medical Center
  Meets in Maywood (708) 216-1646
  – groups for adults grieving the loss of a spouse, child, adult child, loss by suicide, and a motherless daughter’s group
• Providence Home Health and Hospice Care
  Meets in South Holland (708) 331-0400
  – bereavement group for adults

Chicago Spanish-Speaking Therapy Resources:

• Access Clinics
  (773) 254-6044
  47th Street & Kedzie
• Back of the Yards Mental Health
  (312) 747-3560
  4313 S. Ashland
• Catholic Charities
  (312) 655-7700 (intake)
• Greater Lawn Mental Health
  (312) 747-1020. Social Work Referral required
  4150 W. 55th Street, accept public aide
• Metropolitan Family Services
  (773) 884-2235 (intake)
  3843 W. 63rd Street. Waiting list, sliding scale from $5 – $100

If you have questions about finding the right support, or if you would like your organization to be listed, please contact us at Joyful Again!