Resources | Bereaved Families of Ontario

Our Grief Support Library

Articles	A Deep Dive Into Secondary Loss
	Anticipatory – Anticipatory Grief Resources
	Anticipatory – How to Comfort a Loved One When Death is Near
	Bereavement – NHS
	Coping with Depression
	Coping with grief – Mayo Clinic
	Disenfranchised grief – What’s Your Grief
	Experiences of Grief
	Explorations for the Wilderness Period
	Expressions of Grief
	Grief – APA topic hub
	Grief – CAMH
	Grief and loss – Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Grief and trauma – Harvard Health
	Grief is a Normal Part of Life
	Helping a grieving friend – Mind UK
	Helping Ourselves Through the Holidays
	How to Comfort a Loved One when Death is Near
	How to Help Grieving People
	Mourner’s Bill of Rights
	Prolonged/complicated grief (overview) – Columbia
	Refuge in Grief – articles hub
	Suggestions to Aid a Partner during Mourning
	Symptoms-of-Grief
	What Grief Is and Isn’t

Books	A Grief Observed – C.S. Lewis
	Healing After Loss – Martha Whitmore Hickman
	It’s OK That You’re Not OK – Megan Devine
	On Grief and Grieving – Kübler-Ross & Kessler
	Option B – Sheryl Sandberg & Adam Grant
	Resilient Grieving – Lucy Hone
	The Grief Recovery Handbook – James & Friedman
	The Grieving Brain – Mary-Frances O’Connor
	The Wild Edge of Sorrow – Francis Weller
	The Year of Magical Thinking – Joan Didion

Podcasts	A Grief Observed – C.S. Lewis
	Healing After Loss – Martha Whitmore Hickman
	It’s OK That You’re Not OK – Megan Devine
	On Grief and Grieving – Kübler-Ross & Kessler
	Option B – Sheryl Sandberg & Adam Grant
	Resilient Grieving – Lucy Hone
	The Grief Recovery Handbook – James & Friedman
	The Grieving Brain – Mary-Frances O’Connor
	The Wild Edge of Sorrow – Francis Weller
	The Year of Magical Thinking – Joan Didion

Websites	CAMH
	Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Cruse Bereavement Support
	Does your mind jump ahead to the worst-case scenario?
	Grief Healing Blog
	Modern Loss
	MyGrief
	Open to Hope
	Refuge in Grief
	The Dougy Center
	What’s Your Grief

Articles	Bereavement – NHS
	Grief – APA topic hub
	Grief – CAMH
	Helping a child cope with loss – Mayo Clinic
	Helping children & teens cope – Dougy Center
	Helping children cope after suicide loss – AFSP
	Kids and grief – Sesame Workshop
	Kids Help Phone (support info)
	Supporting grieving students – School Crisis & Bereavement
	Talking to children about death – Canadian Virtual Hospice

Books	A Terrible Thing Happened – Margaret Holmes
	Ida, Always – Caron Levis
	Lifetimes – Bryan Mellonie
	Parenting Through Crisis – Barbara Coloroso
	The Dougy Center Grief Handbook (free guides)
	The Grieving Child – Helen Fitzgerald
	The Grieving Teen – Helen Fitzgerald
	The Invisible String – Patrice Karst
	The Memory Box – Joanna Rowland
	When Dinosaurs Die – Laurie Krasny Brown

Podcasts	All There Is
	End-of-Life University
	Good Mourning Podcast
	Grief Out Loud
	Griefcast
	Modern Loss Podcast
	Open to Hope Podcast
	Terrible, Thanks for Asking
	The Life After Podcast
	Where’s the Grief?

Websites	Bereaved Families of Ontario
	CAMH
	Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Child Bereavement UK
	Kids Help Phone
	School Crisis & Bereavement
	Sesame Workshop – Grief
	The Dougy Center
	What’s Your Grief
	Winston’s Wish

Articles	A Father’s Grief
	A Mother’s Story
	Bereavement support – Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Child loss – What’s Your Grief (hub)
	Coping with the death of a child – Mayo Clinic
	Grief – APA topic hub
	Grief and trauma – Harvard Health
	Helping Bereaved Parents – Do’s and Dont’s
	Losing an Adult Child
	Loss of Child-Open Letter to Parents Who Have Lost a Child
	SIDS info – HealthLinkBC
	Supporting bereaved parents – Canadian Paediatric Society
	The Compassionate Friends (support hub)

Books	Bearing the Unbearable – Joanne Cacciatore
	Empty Cradle, Broken Heart – Deborah Davis
	Grieving the Child I Never Knew – Kathe Wunnenberg
	I Wasn’t Ready to Say Goodbye – Noel & Blair
	It’s OK That You’re Not OK – Megan Devine
	Shattered – Gary Roe
	Still – Emma Hansen
	The Bereaved Parent – Harriet Sarnoff Schiff
	The Unspeakable Loss – Nisha Zenoff
	When a Child Dies – Claire Berman

Podcasts	As Long As I’m Living
	Child Loss Conversations
	Good Mourning Podcast
	Grief Out Loud
	Griefcast
	Open to Hope Podcast
	Terrible, Thanks for Asking
	The Compassionate Friends Podcast
	The Life After Podcast
	Where’s the Grief?

Websites	Alive Alone
	Anger and the Grieving Process
	Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Caring together
	Death of an adult child
	MISS Foundation
	Open to Hope
	Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support
	Still Standing Magazine
	The Bereaved Parent
	The Compassionate Friends
	The Dougy Center
	Unhappy Crapaversary
	What the Death of my Daughter is teaching me about grief
	What’s Your Grief
	When A Child Dies

Articles	Grief – APA topic hub
	Grief – Mayo Clinic
	Grief after pregnancy loss – March of Dimes
	Hidden Loss
	Miscarriage – NHS
	Miscarriage and Stillbirth
	Perinatal loss – Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Refuge in Grief – grief myths
	Sands (UK) support
	Share: resources hub
	Talking to kids – Dougy Center
	Tommy’s
	When a Baby Dies – Fetal and Infant Death
	Your Next Baby

Books	A Grief Observed – C.S. Lewis
	Bearing the Unbearable – Joanne Cacciatore
	Empty Cradle, Broken Heart – Deborah Davis
	Grieving the Child I Never Knew – Kathe Wunnenberg
	Healing After Loss – Hickman
	It’s OK That You’re Not OK – Megan Devine
	Mommy Says I Have a Brother – Stephany Resendes, founder of Grayson’s Army
	My Sibling Still: For those who’ve lost a sibling to miscarriage, still birth or infant death
	Option B – Sandberg & Grant
	Saying Goodbye – Zoe Clark-Coates
	Still – Emma Hansen
	The Miscarriage Map – Sunita Osborn

Podcasts	All There Is
	Good Mourning Podcast
	Grief Out Loud
	Griefcast
	Open to Hope Podcast
	Terrible, Thanks for Asking
	The Life After Podcast
	The Pregnancy Loss Podcast
	The Worst Girl Gang Ever
	Where’s the Grief?

Websites	Canadian Virtual Hospice
	First Candle
	Helping Your Family Heal After Stillbirth – Center for Loss & Life Transition
	Home \| Loving Your Baby
	How To Talk To Children About Miscarriage and Stillbirth – Whats your Grief
	Infant Loss and Men – Pregnancy and Infant Loss Day
	Loss & Grief in Pregnancy & Postpartum \| Postpartum Support International (PSI)
	Loss Mama – Learning to Live Again, One Breath at a Time
	Meaningful Grieving After Pregnancy Loss (whatsyourgrief.com)
	Miscarriage and Stillbirth – Modern Loss – Modern Loss
	Miscarriage Hope Desk – Resources and Support – Miscarriage Hope Desk
	One Year Since Losing Lachlan: Lessons in Grief – Embracing Ottawa
	Open to Hope
	PALS – Pregnancy After Loss Support – Pregnancy After Loss Support
	PILSC
	Pregnancy & Infant Loss (PAIL) Network – Sunnybrook Hospital
	Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support Centre – pilsc.org
	Raising An “Only Child” Who Isn’t… – Pregnancy After Loss Support
	Sands
	Share Pregnancy & Infant Loss Support
	Support Network \| Miscarriage For Men
	The Dougy Center
	The Love & Loss Project (lovelossproject.com)
	Tommy’s
	What’s Your Grief
	Whats your Grief – A Grief Website for the Rest of Us

Articles	Complicated grief – NHS
	Continuing bonds – Center for Complicated Grief
	Coping With Grief – Mayo Clinic
	Detailed_Helping Yourself When Your Spouse or Partner Dies
	Disenfranchised grief – What’s Your Grief
	Grief – APA topic hub
	Grief & sleep – Harvard Health
	Grief anniversaries – What’s Your Grief
	Helping Yourself when your Partner or Spouse Dies
	Loss of Spouse Partner
	On Dealing with Loneliness
	Refuge in Grief – grief myths
	Summary Helping Yourself When Your Spouse or Partner Dies
	Supporting someone bereaved – Mind UK
	Widowhood & bereavement – Canadian Virtual Hospice

Books	A Grief Observed – C.S. Lewis
	Healing After Loss – Martha Whitmore Hickman
	It’s OK That You’re Not OK – Megan Devine
	It’s OK to Laugh (Seriously) – Nora McInerny
	Option B – Sheryl Sandberg & Adam Grant
	Resilient Grieving – Lucy Hone
	The Grief Recovery Handbook – James & Friedman
	The Grieving Brain – Mary-Frances O’Connor
	The Year of Magical Thinking – Joan Didion
	Widow to Widow – Genevieve Davis Ginsburg

Podcasts	All There Is with Anderson Cooper
	Good Mourning Podcast
	Grief Out Loud
	Griefcast
	Modern Loss Podcast
	Open to Hope Podcast
	Terrible, Thanks for Asking
	The Life After Podcast
	The Widowed Parent Podcast
	Where’s the Grief?

Websites	Adventures in Widowed Parenting \| Grief, Sarcasm and a Whole Lot of F Bombs (wordpress.com)
	Camp Window
	Can life return to normal after the death of a spouse? – BBC News
	Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Cruse Bereavement Support
	Grief Healing Blog
	Grieving the Death of a Spouse or Significant Other – Whats your Grief
	Hummingbird Centre For Hope Widowed Parent
	Modern Loss
	Modern Loss
	Modern Loss – Spouse//Partner
	Open to Hope
	Refuge in Grief
	Soaring Spirits Canada
	Soaring Spirits International
	The Dougy Center
	What’s Your Grief

Articles	Anticipatory grief – Hospice Foundation of America
	Bereavement – NHS
	Coping with grief – Mayo Clinic
	Grief – APA topic hub
	Grief – CAMH
	Grief and loss – Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) – Government of Canada
	One Families Experience with Medically Assisted in Dying
	Refuge in Grief – grief myths
	Talking to kids about death – Dougy Center
	What’s Your Grief (site)

Books	A Beginner’s Guide to the End – BJ Miller & Shoshana Berger
	Being Mortal – Atul Gawande
	Dying Well – Ira Byock
	Final Gifts – Callanan & Kelley
	Healing After Loss – Hickman
	It’s OK That You’re Not OK – Megan Devine
	Option B – Sandberg & Grant
	Resilient Grieving – Lucy Hone
	The Grieving Brain – Mary-Frances O’Connor
	When Breath Becomes Air – Paul Kalanithi

Podcasts	All There Is
	End-of-Life University Podcast
	Good Mourning Podcast
	Grief Out Loud
	Griefcast
	Open to Hope Podcast
	Terrible, Thanks for Asking
	The Life After Podcast
	This Is Actually Happening
	Where’s the Grief?

Websites	Bereavement Week Series: Dying With Dignity Canada
	Bridge C-14 l Support Through the MAiD Journey \| Canada (bridgec14.org)
	Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Dying With Dignity Canada
	Government of Canada – MAiD
	Home – MAiD Family Support
	Hospice Foundation of America
	Hospice Palliative Care Ontario
	Open to Hope
	Refuge in Grief
	So Now What? Grief and bereavement following MAiD — Carolyn Gibson Smith
	The Dougy Center
	What’s Your Grief

Articles	Bereavement – NHS
	Continuing bonds – Center for Complicated Grief
	Coping with grief – Mayo Clinic
	Disenfranchised grief – What’s Your Grief
	Grief – APA topic hub
	Grief & bereavement – Mind UK
	Grief and loss – Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Grief and trauma – Harvard Health
	Helping children/teens cope – Dougy Center
	When a friend dies – Mental Health Foundation

Books	A Grief Observed – C.S. Lewis
	H is for Hawk – Helen Macdonald
	Healing After Loss – Hickman
	It’s OK That You’re Not OK – Megan Devine
	Option B – Sandberg & Grant
	Resilient Grieving – Lucy Hone
	Sibling Grief – P. Gill White
	The Dead Moms Club – Kate Spencer
	The Grief Recovery Handbook
	The Grieving Brain – Mary-Frances O’Connor

Podcasts	All There Is
	End-of-Life University
	Good Mourning Podcast
	Grief Out Loud
	Griefcast
	Modern Loss Podcast
	Open to Hope Podcast
	Terrible, Thanks for Asking
	The Life After Podcast
	Where’s the Grief?

Websites	A Co-Worker’s Death
	Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Centre for Suicide Prevention
	Cruse Bereavement Support
	Death and the Workplace
	Grief Healing Blog
	Modern Loss
	Open to Hope
	Refuge in Grief
	Sibling Loss and How it is Different
	The Death of a Grand-Parent
	The Dougy Center
	What’s Your Grief
	When a Sibling Dies
	Workplace – Coping with Your Grief in the Workplace

Articles	Why suicide grief is different – AFSP
	Coping with suicide loss – Mayo Clinic
	After a Suicide: Help for Those Left Behind – SAMHSA
	Helping children cope with a suicide loss – AFSP
	What not to say – Alliance of Hope
	Suicide bereavement – Centre for Suicide Prevention
	Complicated grief – APA
	Grief and trauma – Harvard Health
	Find support after suicide loss – AFSP
	Alliance of Hope articles (hub)
	Helping You Survive a Suicide Death
	Suicide – Beyond Grief – Surviving a Suicide
	Suicide – Helping You to Survive A Suicide Death
	Suicide – Helping Yourself Following a Suicide
	Suicide – Suicide A Letter to Parents Whose Child Has Taken Their Life
	Suicide – The Burden of Suicide
	Suicide Loss Toolkit – Mental Health Commission.ca

Books	Home \| Puddle Jumper Publishing
	No Time to Say Goodbye – Carla Fine
	Grieving a Suicide Loss – Jordan & Baugher
	Silent Grief – Lukas & Seiden
	Touched by Suicide – Michael F. Myers
	Healing After the Suicide of a Loved One – Smolin & Guinan
	After Suicide Loss – AFSP book list
	Life After Suicide – Jennifer Ashton
	When a Friend Dies by Suicide – Tim Desmond
	Dying to Be Free – Beverly Cobain
	It’s OK That You’re Not OK – Megan Devine

Podcasts	Alliance of Hope Podcast
	AFSP Podcasts
	Grief Out Loud
	Terrible, Thanks for Asking
	Open to Hope Podcast
	The Life After Podcast
	Where’s the Grief?
	Good Mourning Podcast
	All There Is
	Griefcast

Websites	An Open Letter, From a Grieving Sibling \| AFSP
	Grieving After a Suicide Death – What’s Your Grief (whatsyourgrief.com)
	Suicide survivors face grief, questions, challenges – Harvard Health
	Suicide_loss_toolkit_eng.pdf (mentalhealthcommission.ca)
	Understanding Survivors of Suicide Loss \| Psychology Today Canada
	Alliance of Hope
	AFSP
	Centre for Suicide Prevention
	Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention
	CAMH
	SAVE
	Speaking of Suicide
	The Dougy Center
	What’s Your Grief

Articles	Complicated Grief Overview – APA
	Coping With Traumatic Grief – Mayo Clinic
	Gone too Soon – Navigating Grief and Loss as a Result of Substance Use
	Grief After Death From Substance Use
	Grief and Trauma – Harvard Health
	Understanding Traumatic Bereavement – CAMH
	What Helps After Sudden Loss – What’s Your Grief

Books	Addiction and Overdose – Connie Goldsmith
	Age of Fentanyl – Brodie Ramin
	Bearing the Unbearable – Joanne Cacciatore
	Don’t Forget Me: A Lifeline of Hope for Those Touched – Substance
	I Am Here For You! A Story To Support Your Grieving Child Through Death From Substance Use (for children 4-10 years old)
	It’s OK That You’re Not OK – Megan Devine
	Option B – Sheryl Sandberg
	Overdose – Benjamin Perrin
	Resilient Grieving – Lucy Hone
	The Grief Recovery Handbook – John James

Podcasts	Grief Out Loud
	Healing Conversations
	Open to Hope Podcast
	Terrible, Thanks for Asking
	The Life After Podcast

Websites	GRASP Canada – Grief Recovery for Those Who Have Lost Due to Drugs (grasphelp.org)
	Grieving the Loss of a Loved One \| Healing Hearts Bereavement Support – Canada (healingheartscanada.org)
	Moms Stop The Harm
	Olivia’s Story (drugfreekidscanada.org)
	The Grief of an Overdose Death — and How You Can Support Someone Grieving a Substance Use Loss – Partnership to End Addiction (drugfree.org)
	The Grief of an Overdose Death: Part 1 – Whats your Grief
	The Grief of an Overdose Death: Part 2 – Whats your Grief
	Whats your Grief – A Grief Website for the Rest of Us
	You Were A Million Other Things – Whats your Grief

Articles	Complicated Grief Overview – APA
	Coping With Traumatic Grief – Mayo Clinic
	Grief and Trauma – Harvard Health
	Understanding Traumatic Bereavement – CAMH
	Violent – A Violent Death
	Violent – Child is Murdered
	What Helps After Sudden Loss – What’s Your Grief

Books	Bearing the Unbearable – Joanne Cacciatore
	It’s OK That You’re Not OK – Megan Devine
	Option B – Sheryl Sandberg
	Resilient Grieving – Lucy Hone
	The Grief Recovery Handbook – John James

Podcasts	Grief Out Loud
	Healing Conversations
	Open to Hope Podcast
	Terrible, Thanks for Asking
	The Life After Podcast

Websites	Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime
	Canadian Virtual Hospice
	Centre for Suicide Prevention
	Dougy Center
	National Organization for Victim Assistance
	Parents of Murdered Children
	Victim Services Canada
	What’s Your Grief

From Our Support and Share Night Speakers

Cindy Little - Author and Speaker

Life can change in an instant. Loss—whether through death, illness, or major life transitions—forces us to ask painful questions: How do I go on? Will I ever feel joy again? After the sudden loss of my son, I was thrust into the depths of grief. In Reflecting on Life; Growing Through Grief, I share my raw journey of heartbreak, healing, and rediscovering purpose. Through personal stories, lessons, and practical tools, this book offers guidance for anyone navigating grief or unexpected change. You’ll find reflections to journal on, strategies to move forward, and reminders that—even in the darkest moments—you already carry the strength to heal. This book is both a companion and a light, showing you that grief doesn’t have to define the end of your story; it can become the beginning of a new one. If you are searching for hope, healing, and a way back to life’s joy, this book is for you.

R. Glenn Kelly - Author and Speaker

R. Glenn Kelly is a writer, public speaker, Grief Support Advocate, and grieving father. After the tragic loss of his teenage son, he left behind the corporate world to work exclusively with bereaved men, and the women who want to understand them. R. Glenn is the author of the self-help book, "Sometimes I Cry in the Shower: A Grieving Father's Journey to Wholeness and Healing," and has appeared on television, support workshops and even college universities to discuss moving forward towards the new normal in recovering from traumatic loss. Look for Sometimes I Cry in the Shower in paperback and eBook on-line at R. Glenn's website, grievingmen.com, Amazon, Barnes and Noble and bookstores everywhere.

My Little Brother - A Childhood Memoir

by Maiko Serizawa (Author) Have you ever lost someone so dear that their memory still shapes your life? In My Little Brother, Maiko shares a poignant yet heartwarming journey through her early years with her beloved younger brother who passed away far too soon. Through vivid recollections of their time together in a small community of a rural Japanese town, Maiko brings to life the joy and warmth of their shared childhood adventures. Her brother, despite his short life due to heart disease, left an indelible mark on everyone around him, especially his big sister. My Little Brother is a touching memoir that celebrates the beauty of a brief but significant life and the enduring love that keeps memories alive. Join Maiko on a journey with her little brother, and rediscover the magic of childhood and the power of memory. Get your copy of My Little Brother today! My Little Brother: a childhood memoir eBook : Serizawa, Maiko : Amazon.ca: Kindle Store

From Our BFO Ottawa Community

Always With Me: Parents Talk About the Death of a Child

Edited by Donna McCart Sharkey, BFO Ottawa loss of child group facilitator and participant. Chapters written by many others from BFO Ottawa who have lost a child. How does a parent cope after the death of a child? Each essay in Always With Me: Parents Talk about the Death of a Child reveals the experiences of parents who have lived through the devastation and upheaval of their child’s death. Parents describe the maelstrom they face in their inner landscapes, coping strategies, and realigned place in the world. The writers in this collection of stories take on such topics as shock and isolation, despair, guilt, and how they attempt to make sense of their shattered lives. They offer insights into how their grief and loss are worked through, and why certain personal connections are severed, others strengthened. Importantly, they describe how, with lives altered indelibly, they try to press forward to find a new place in the world.

To order this book, please contact us