Grief Support Library
When you’re grieving, it can feel like you are stuck, all alone, and lost. We hope these resources will fill you with hope, a sense that you are not alone, and a clear path forward as you process and heal from the loss of your loved one.
Browse the Library
KVCV Grief Support Brochure
Click below to download the brochure. Please share this with someone who is grieving.
Adult Grief & Healing
Articles & Talks
The Stages of Grief
from Grief.com
Understanding Grief & Loss
from healgrief.org
Grief After a Murder
from Grief.com
The Impact of Homicide on Families
Coping with Traumatic Death [Brochure]
from MADD
Adult Grief After Traumatic Death [Brochure]
from MADD
Dealing with Sudden Loss
from TEDx Talks
The Cure for Grief
from TEDx Talks
Grief & Healing Books
Rebuilding Your Life After Homicide
Rebuilding your Life after Homicide reflects the experience that surviving victims of homicide undergo after the unthinkable happens. Life as they knew it was different after the violent loss of their loved one. The most important message of this book is to convey that you are not alone. Many mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, steps, grandparents, and close friends have walked a similar path before you. Losing a loved one to homicide is a very misunderstood form of grief, no one is prepared for such a sudden and violent act. We are sorry that you are going through this. This book was written with you, your loved one, and your family in mind. Everyone’s story is unique. There is no blue print available to get you through this. There is no right way to grieve or recover. This book has been developed as a guide of what you might expect along the way. This journey will not be easy. It will take everything that you have to make it through it, there will be really difficult moments, as well as positive ones. You are not alone.
What to Do When the Police Leave: A Guide to the First Days of Traumatic Loss
By: Bill Jenkins
What to Do When the Police Leave is a one of a kind resource with heart-to-heart practical advice from one who has been through the trenches of grief and loss, encouraging and helping others in their own paths. The victims’ voice has never spoken so clearly.
No Time for Goodbyes
By: Janice Harris Lord
No Time for Goodbyes is for survivors grieving the tragic death of a loved one. You will find her deep understanding and insight, as well as detailed, practical information on dealing with legal and financial issues. Covered are accidental deaths, negligence, suicide, murder, and all kinds of traumatic, sudden, and violent losses. Eloquent comments from survivors are combined with the author’s many years of research and experience to make this an incredibly helpful resource. No Time For Goodbyes is used extensively by grieving families as well as numerous professionals and organizations.
Forgiving What You Can’t Forget: Discover How to Move On, Make Peace With Painful Memories, and Create a Life That’s Beautiful Again
By: Lysa TerKeurst
Have you ever felt stuck in a cycle of unresolved pain, playing offenses over and over in your mind? You know you can’t go on like this, but you don’t know what to do next. Lysa TerKeurst has wrestled through this journey. But in surprising ways, she’s discovered how to let go of bound-up resentment and overcome the resistance to forgiving people who aren’t willing to make things right. With deep empathy, therapeutic insight, and rich Bible teaching coming out of more than 1,000 hours of theological study, Lysa will help you heal deeply.
Beyond the Bullet
By: Heidi Yewman
Beyond the Bullet helps ordinary people cope after a loved one is killed due to gun violence. How do you cope after something so horrible has happened? It’s a question that more than 30,000 families must face every year in America. In this gripping book, survivors, friends, and family members discuss their lives from the moment their worlds were turned upside down by guns. In their own words, they discuss the anguish, fear, confusion, and grief they were plunged into as a result of a pulled trigger. Along the way, author Heidi Yewman finds some common traits and some astonishing illustrations of how grief plays out for different people in tragically similar circumstances.
Life After Trauma: A Workbook for Healing
By: Dena Rosenbloom, Ph.D. & Mary Beth Williams, Ph.D.
Trauma can turn your world upside down–afterward, nothing may look safe or familiar. This compassionate workbook has already helped tens of thousands of trauma survivors start rebuilding their lives. Full of practical strategies for coping and self-care, the book guides you toward reclaiming a solid sense of safety, self-worth, trust, and control, as well as the capacity to be close to others. The focus is on finding the way forward in your life today, no matter what has happened in the past. The updated second edition has a new section on managing emotions through mindfulness and an appendix on easing the stress of health care visits. Dozens of step-by-step questionnaires and exercises are included; you can download and print additional copies of these tools for repeated use.
A Guide to Understanding Guilt During Berevement
By: Bob Baugher, Ph.D.
Do you feel guilty over the death of your loved one? This 53-page book will not tell you NOT to feel guilty. However, it does include explanations of 14 types of guilt (e.g. Death-Causation Guilt, Role Guilt, Moral Guilt) and takes the reader through 23 suggestions for coping with guilt such as self-talk, compiling memories, role-taking, and performing a ritual, so that you can move forward from guilt and help yourself let go of one piece of your grief at a time.
A Guide to Understanding Anger During Berevement
By: Bob Baugher, Ph.D.
Coping with the death of a loved one is difficult. Anger is a natural reaction to being deprived of something desired. If you are coping with anger or know someone who is, this book is for you. Topics include: Causes, Positives and Negatives of Anger, Pre-existing Emotional Styles, Targets and Intentions of Anger, and Suggestions for Coping with Anger.
Coping with Traumatic Death: Homicide
By: Bob Baugher, Ph.D.
Someone you love has been murdered. This book is intended to help you understand some of what to expect after the homicide of a family member or friend. The book is divided into sections which cover the first few days, the first few weeks, the first few months, the first year and beyond. One reader commented, “If this booklet had been available when I was told of my brother’s homicide, I would have carried it with me and used it often.”
Coping with Grief: A Guide for the Bereaved Survivor: A List of Reactions, Suggestions and Steps for Coping with Grief
By: Bob Baugher, Ph.D.
This 83-page “grief 101” book takes the reader through the confusing journey of grief. On each even-numbered page is a grief reaction (e.g., Shock, Denial, Guilt, Anger, Fear, Bodily Reactions, Reactions of Others, Worry, Concentration, Dreams, Long-Term Reactions). On each odd-numbered page are suggestions for coping. The book was written with input from 47 reviewers who themselves were coping with the death of a child, parent, sibling, spouse, relative, or friend. In addition, the latest research in coping with grief is included. Notes from grateful readers state that they love this little book, and that, as they move forward from their loss they refer to the book now and then to see their progress. More than 100,000 copies of this book have been purchased by individuals, churches, hospitals, hospices, the military, funeral homes, grief support groups, organ donation groups, and by professionals who help bereaved clients.
The Journey: Learning to Live with Violent Death
By: Connie Saindon
The Journey: Learning to Live with Violent Death leads people through a healing process after losing a family member or friend in a violent death. The workbook is written for individuals and facilitators of grief support groups. It is based on the Restorative Retelling model developed by Dr. Edward K. Rynearson. The workbook encourages readers to write about their experiences and guides their grieving and healing process. Nationally, there are about 50,000 violent deaths annually. It is estimated that from that number, there are an additional ten to twelve people connected to the victim who are significantly impacted by this loss. This workbook is a resource for those who want to conduct a support group or who may wish to strengthen their ability to live with what has happened more privately.
And I Don’t Want to Live this Life
By: Deborah Spungen
And I Don’t Want to Live this Life is the story of a young girl, who was stabbed to death by her boyfriend. It is an engrossing and painful tale of a mother’s loss that was both a relief and a tragedy. Here is the incredible story of an infant who never stopped screaming, a toddler who attacked people, a teenager addicted to drugs, violence, and easy sex, a daughter completely out of control—who almost destroyed her parents’ marriage and the happiness of the rest of her family.
Murder Survivor’s Handbook: Real-Life Stories, Tips & Resources
By: Connie Saindon
Murder Survivor’s Handbook: Real-Life Stories, Tips & Resources helps family members adapt to the aftermath of murder. This book provides information, resources, and strategies for learning to live with the aftermath of a homicide, including safety issues, dealing with the criminal justice system, addressing the news media, and coping with traumatic grief, while preserving the memory of a loved one. In the book, survivor writers describe their own experiences and, through their tips and suggestions, lend a helping hand to those who follow in their footsteps. The book also encourages readers to write down their own feelings and experiences as they take this journey no one ever wants to take, but in which they had no choice.
Teen Corner
Helping Teens Deal with Death and Grief
How to Comfort a Grieving Teen
from TEDx Talks
Grief Out Loud: Teens Talk About Loss
How Teens Deal with Grief
Living with Grief: Helping Adolescents Cope with Loss
from hfahospice
[Brochure] Teen Grief
from MADD
Grief Books for Teens
Healing Your Grieving Heart: 100 Practical Ideas
By: Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D.
Healing Your Grieving Heart is filled with ideas and activities aimed at reducing the confusion, anxiety, and huge personal void teens often feel when they lose a loved one. The goal of these activities is to help teens start living their lives again. Included in the books for teens and kids are age-appropriate activities that teach younger people that their thoughts are not only normal but necessary.
Teen Grief: Caring for the Grieving Teenage Heart
By: Gary Roe
Award-winning author and grief counselor Gary Roe wrote Teen Grief at the request of parents, teachers, coaches, and school counselors. Born of personal experience and more than three decades of interacting with grieving teens, this informative, practical handbook is replete with guidance, insight, and ideas for helping teens navigate the turbulent waters of loss. Though Teen Grief primarily focuses on losses due to death, the principles discussed can be applied to any loss a teen might be experiencing.
Kids’ Corner
Children’s Books About Death and Grief
Till We Meet Again
By: Julie Muller
The Memory Box
By: Joanna Rowland
The Invisible String
By: Patrice Karst
I Miss You
By: Pat Thomas
Lifetimes
By: Bryan Mellonie
Where Are You?
By: Sarah Williamson
God Gave us Heaven
By: Lisa Tawn Bergren
Ida, Always
By: Caron Levis
Always Remember
By: Cece Meng
The Goodbye Book
By: Todd Parr
Angel Catcher for Kids: A Journal to Help You Remember the Person You Love Who Died
By: Amy Eldon
Sad Isn’t Bad: A Good-Grief Guidebook for Kids Dealing With Loss
By: Michaelene Mundy