Bereavement Resources and Services

Losing a loved one is an extremely difficult and challenging experience. UCSF Health offers resources to help you with the most common decisions and confusing tasks faced by families and friends after the death of someone they love.

Social workers can provide emotional support and referrals to counselors and support groups. Chaplains from many faiths are available for spiritual guidance. Decedent Affairs can assist you with planning after the death of a loved one. Call 415-353-1729 or email [email protected].

Recommended reading

• Planning for Burial or Cremation. How to make arrangements for burial or cremation and memorials, including a directory of local funeral homes and cremation services.
• Practical Tasks Following Death. People, groups and institutions to notify; important documents to compile; and other tasks
• Grief, Bereavement and Healing. A look at the process of grief, where to get support, and how to help children with grief
• Books and Movies About Loss. Reading and watching suggestions for adults, children and teens experiencing grief

Additional resources

Many organizations provide support groups, individual counseling, 24-hour hotlines, and other services for grieving adults, teens and children. The list below includes national and Bay Area groups.

National bereavement resources

• CaringInfo. This program, developed by the National Alliance for Care at Home, offers information on grief and loss, support for grieving people, and help with finding local support groups. Email [email protected].
• Centering. This nonprofit is dedicated to providing education and resources for both professional grief counselors and the families they serve. Caregivers and families can find books, magazines and workshops on grief and loss. Call (866) 218-0101.
• The Compassionate Friends. Online and local chapters provide peer-led grief support after the death of a child. There are numerous Bay Area chapters. Call 877-969-0010.
• Dougy Center. Grief support resources specifically for grieving children, teens and their families. Has an excellent selection of relevant books, brochures and suggested activities, as well as connections to nationwide centers offering grief counseling and related services. Call (866) 775-5683.
• Hospice Foundation of America. Help for those who cope personally and professionally with terminal illness, death, and the processes of grief and bereavement. Call 800-854-3402.

Regional bereavement resources

• By the Bay Camp. A free three-day summer retreat for grieving children and teens, ages 7 to 17 (up to 18 if still in high school).
• By the Bay Health. Offers both individual grief counseling and support groups for adults and children on a sliding fee scale. By the Bay Health is affiliated with UCSF and has the following Bay Area offices:
  • San Francisco, 415-927-2273
  • San Mateo County, 415-526-5699
  • Marin County, 415-526-5699
  • Sonoma County, 707-931-7299
• Kaiser Permanente Northern California Hospice. Bereavement coordinators at Kaiser programs throughout the Bay Area provide short-term counseling and information on local support groups and resources. See the main web page to find the phone number of the coordinator for your area.
• Pathways Home Health and Hospice. Offers individual grief counseling and support groups for children, teens and parents. Call 888-755-7855.

San Francisco bereavement resources

• San Francisco Suicide Prevention 24-Hour Hotline. Community-based suicide prevention and crisis intervention services, available 24/7. Call 415-781-0500.
• Jewish Family and Children's Services. Nondenominational bereavement support groups, workshops, individual and family counseling, healing resources and memory care services. Call 415-449-1212.
• Josie's Place for Bereaved Youth and Families. Support groups for children and teens. Call 415-665-0255.
• Sutter Care at Home. Grief support groups and individual counseling. In San Francisco, call 415-749-4201.
• Zen Caregiving Project. Provides grief support resources. Call 415-913-7682.

Peninsula and South Bay resources

• Centre for Living with Dying. Offers individual and group support for adults, children and families. Call 408-243-0222.
• Kara. Offers grief support groups for children, teenagers and adults. Call 650-321-5272.
• Mid-Peninsula Widow and Widowers Association. An in-person peer-led group providing support and social activities for people who have lost a spouse. Email [email protected].
• Peninsula Suicide Prevention. Suicide prevention and crisis intervention for San Mateo County residents, available 24/7. Call or text 988.
• Sutter Care at Home. Individual counseling, phone support and support groups for adults who have lost spouses/partners or parents. In San Mateo, call 650-685-2830.

East Bay bereavement resources

• Circle of Care. This program, offered by East Bay Agency for Children, provides support groups and individual counseling for children, teens and families. Based in Oakland. Call 510-531-7551.
• Contra Costa Crisis Center. Services include a 24-hour crisis intervention and suicide prevention hotline. Offers individual counseling by trained volunteers in clients' homes or at the center's Walnut Creek office. Also has grief support programs for adults, teens and children. For the hotline, call 988 or 800-837-8255 or text "HOPE" to 20121.
• Crisis Support Services of Alameda County. Grief support for individuals, families and groups in Alameda County. Offerings include support groups specifically for survivors of attempted suicide and for people who have lost a loved one to suicide. Call 800-309-2131.
• Hope Hospice and Health Services. Offers individual counseling and grief support groups for adults, children and teens. Call 925-829-8770.
• Jewish Family and Children's Services of the East Bay. Offers individual and family grief support. Call 925-927-2000.
• Sutter Care at Home. Offers individual and group grief support, art therapy and remembrance services. In Alameda County, call 510-618-5200.

North Bay bereavement resources

• Hospice Services of Lake County. Offers individual counseling and groups for children, teens and adults. Call 707-263-6222.
• Hospice of Petaluma. Offers individual counseling and groups for children, teens and adults. Call 707-778-6242.
• Sutter Care at Home. Offers a variety of grief support groups, individual counseling and programs for teens and adults. In Santa Rosa. Call 707-535-5780.