Grief Support Services

We’re here to support you as you learn to live without your loved one. Our supportive grief counseling provides you with a safe environment to share your experience of loss with a licensed bereavement counselor. Counseling is available in person, by phone, or through a virtual video visit. For more information about talking to a counselor or to schedule an appointment, call 919-644-6869. A referral by a parent or guardian is required for anyone under 18 years old.

Groups provide an opportunity to remember and honor a loved one in the company of others. You will learn about grief and hear how others are effectively coping with loss. It’s a place where you can share your story and listen, knowing you are not alone in a difficult time. Our eight-week groups are loss-specific: loss of spouse/partner; loss of parent; loss of child.

Every spring, we host Camp ReLEAF, a grief camp for children in grades K-8 who have experienced a loss. The one-day camp is designed to provide a safe and supportive place for children to express their grief through arts and crafts, small-group discussion, movement, and more. Children learn ways to cope with their loss and know they are not alone. Camp ReLEAF is also designed to be a place where grieving children can be together and have fun. The camp is staffed by trained volunteers and Duke Hospice Bereavement Services staff. 

For information, email DHCHCamp@dm.duke.edu.

ReLEAF Connections is a monthly support group for K-8th graders who are grieving the death of a loved one. Participants who have experienced a significant loss will have the opportunity to connect with others through games, arts and crafts, and small-group discussion. 

The group meets on the first Thursday of every month from 6-7:30 pm. Dinner is provided. 

To register, contact DHCHCamp@dm.duke.edu.

Grief Walks, Expressive Arts Workshops, Grieving Through the Holidays Workshops, and other programs bring together people who are mourning and help them process their loss in a meaningful way. Check our calendar for details.

Each year in August, Duke Hospice Bereavement Services holds a Service of Remembrance at Goodson Chapel in Duke Divinity School. This service is open to the community and honors the lives of loved ones through music, readings, ritual, and sharing memories.

In December, we host our annual Lights of Remembrance to honor and celebrate the lives of those who have died but remain forever in our hearts. Our park is aglow with luminaries lit in their memory, along with a placard featuring a heartfelt remembrance. To order a luminary, contact Dale Horton at 919-479-0318 or click here.