seminars on navigating the holidays and the loss of a spouse Cost Varies by provider If you’re considering online grief therapy with a licensed therapist, Zocdoc may be a good option if you want the ability to schedule your sessions on demand, without a subscription. Your per-session cost could be made more affordable by searching for online grief counselors and therapists who accept insurance through Zocdoc. In addition to the insurance plans the providers accept, their profiles feature ratings from past patients to help you choose. Zocdoc allows you to search for providers by the type of condition they treat, including prolonged grief disorder, also known as complicated grief. According to the American Psychiatric Association, you may be experiencing this condition if you have persistent and intense grief that has disabled your everyday functioning with symptoms that include emotional numbness, difficulties pursuing your interests, and feeling detached from others. Provider availability varies by location.
Zocdoc Plan Options and Pricing
Zocdoc does not offer any plans, and any charges will be paid directly to your provider per session. Your exact cost for a Zocdoc grief counseling session depends on your insurance plan and whether the ZocDoc provider you choose is in your insurance network. If your insurance plan offers out-of-network coverage, you may be eligible for reimbursement, depending on the details of your plan. Without insurance, costs vary by provider. Some providers offer a sliding scale for payment assistance. Cost $240 to $360 per month, depending on your location and therapist availability BetterHelp is an online therapy platform that is accessible via a web browser or mobile app. It offers weekly therapy sessions and unlimited messaging with a licensed therapist for individuals ages 18 and older. Therapy sessions last 30 to 45 minutes, depending on how much time you and your therapist need. You can send messages to your therapist 24 hours a day, but BetterHelp doesn’t guarantee how soon its therapists will respond. According to our reviews team’s April 2022 survey of 1,000 online therapy users, 50 percent of the 162 BetterHelp users received responses within a day, 17 percent received responses within a few days, 25 percent received responses within a week, and 8 percent said it regularly took more than a week for their therapist to respond. If messaging is important to you, you can indicate it as a preference during the sign-up process, and BetterHelp will match you to a therapist who uses messaging.
BetterHelp Therapist Matching
There are two ways to find a BetterHelp therapist who specializes in online grief counseling: via its home page or its Find a Therapist page. Using the home page, you’ll start by indicating whether you’re looking for therapy for yourself, for yourself and a partner, or for your teen. If you indicate that you’re looking for therapy for yourself, you’ll be asked to complete an online questionnaire that asks about any therapist preferences you have, such as a male or female therapist, and why you’re seeking therapy. If you choose “I’m grieving” as an option, it will match you with a therapist who offers grief counseling. It typically takes about 24 hours for BetterHelp to find a counselor match, but it may take longer, depending on the availability of therapists who match your preferences. If you indicate that you’re looking for therapy for yourself and a partner, you’ll be directed to the BetterHelp specialty site ReGain, where you can search for a therapist who offers couples grief counseling. If you indicate that you’re looking for online therapy for a teen, you’ll be directed to its specialty site TeenCounseling.com, where you can search for a therapist who offers grief counseling for teens. If you want to choose your own therapist instead of waiting for BetterHelp to match you, you can use the Find a Therapist page, which will show you a list of therapists who are licensed in your state and their bios, which indicate whether they offer grief counseling. Once you choose your therapist and click the Get Started button, you’ll need to complete the same therapist-matching questionnaire you would have had to if you’d signed up through the home page. This is so that BetterHelp can ensure your pick matches your preferences. If it doesn’t, BetterHelp will assign you an alternate therapist. You can change therapists at any time by contacting BetterHelp support.
BetterHelp Plan Options and Pricing
BetterHelp offers monthly memberships for between $240 and $360 per month, depending on where you live and the availability of licensed therapists in your state. Before you enter your payment information, BetterHelp will ask you whether you want to apply for financial aid. The application asks questions related to your ability to pay, such as whether you’re a student, unemployed, or have multiple dependents. You will be given your final cost based on a good-faith representation of your finances as soon as you submit your application. You can also contact BetterHelp customer service to inquire about reducing your cost once you’ve subscribed. Cost Free bronze membership, $39 per year for the silver membership, $99 per year for the platinum membership The Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement (APLB) provides live chat and video group support sessions for people grieving the loss of a pet. Sessions and chat rooms are moderated by pet loss grief specialists who have completed an eight-week course offered by the APLB and have experience in pet loss grief work. They are not licensed grief therapists. With a free bronze membership, you can access its live chat support sessions every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Sundays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). There is also a live chat session dedicated solely to anticipatory grief on the first Thursday of each month from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST. According to the University of Rochester Medical Center, anticipatory grief is mourning in anticipation of death. A $39 per year silver membership provides access to the benefits of the bronze membership, plus free webinars on a variety of topics, such as anticipatory grief, how to be a companion to others in grief, and children in grief. You also get access to live video support groups at the following times and dates:
First Saturday of the month, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. ESTSecond Saturday of the month, 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. ESTFourth Saturday of the month, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. EST
The silver membership also includes one pet memorial, which is a dedicated web page where you can share a story and photo about your pet. A $99 per year platinum membership includes everything the bronze and silver memberships offer, plus unlimited pet memorials. APLB also hosts a free, two-hour support session for veterinarian staff every month to help them support grieving pet parents and deal with compassion fatigue. Sessions occur on the third Wednesday of each month from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. EST.
APLB Plan Options and Pricing
Bronze Membership Free
Access to all live chat sessions for pet loss grief support and anticipatory grief
Silver Membership $39 per year
Access to all live chat support sessionsAccess to all video support groups and webinarsOne pet memorial
Platinum Membership $99 per year
Access to all live chat support sessionsAccess to all video support groups and webinarsUnlimited pet memorials
Cost Varies by group, but typically $15 to $25 per program If you want the option to connect with people in your local community about your grief experience, GriefShare could be a good option. Run by Church Initiative, a nondenominational, nonprofit ministry serving churches worldwide, GriefShare offers a 13-week video-based curriculum to help support people experiencing grief. Its website allows you to search for GriefShare groups that you can attend online or in person, as well as focus sessions on topics like surviving the holidays and losing a spouse. A Location Type filter allows you to filter by meetings that take place online, in person, or both. Each session of the 13-week program is devoted to a different topic, such as the challenges and journey of grief and how it affects your relationship. Sessions begin with a prerecorded video that features expert interviews and real-life case studies. After watching the video, the group spends time discussing the video and sharing how it relates to them. Between sessions, members can use a workbook to journal their emotions and help them through the grieving process. You can join at any time during the 13-week program.Many of these sessions do have religious overtones or focuses, and a number of the experts come from a faith-based background and are not licensed counselors. GriefShare sessions are hosted by local churches, but it is a nondenominational community and open to everyone. According to GriefShare, most of the leaders of these support groups have experienced losses in their lives and can mentor people experiencing grief. Kali Wolken, a licensed therapist in Grand Rapids, Michigan, says that groups like GriefShare give you the opportunity to hear others’ stories that may parallel your own. “I’ve heard it said that two of the most powerful words we can hear from someone is ‘me too.’ When we share our loss and hear others join us in a deep understanding of what that means without having to explain it, healing takes place,” says Wolken. This option is best for those who are comfortable with a religious or spiritual approach to grief therapy, and it may not be right for secular users.
GriefShare Plan Options and Pricing
According to GriefShare, group facilitators typically charge a one-time $15 to $25 fee, depending on the group. The fee covers the cost of a workbook for use outside of sessions to help you work through your thoughts and emotions. If you can’t afford the fee, you can contact your group’s facilitator to inquire about a scholarship that the hosting church pays for. Cost $5 per month To join a virtual table, you can choose from a selection of open tables, which are small, peer-led groups of up to 12 people experiencing a similar loss. Every group holds meetings at different frequencies, but many are held every two to four weeks. Meetings occur over Zoom, Google Hangouts, or a similar platform. The host determines the frequency of the meetings and will reach out to you with instructions for joining. If you want to share your story and help others, you can host a virtual table. You’ll start by attending a training program that covers general hosting information and gives tips on how to host meaningful conversations. You’ll then submit your bio and your goals for the sessions. When people sign up, they will give you their contact information, and you’ll provide them with information about how to join your table sessions. Other than joining or hosting a virtual table, the Dinner Party also allows you to request a “buddy,” or “grief peer,” who offers one-on-one grief support. You’ll start the process by completing a submission form that asks about your loss and the type of grief support you’re looking for. It could take several days to several weeks for the Dinner Party to match you to a buddy, depending on availability and demand. When you’re matched, you’ll receive an email introducing you to one another, explaining how to connect, and prompting you to sign up for a membership.
The Dinner Party Plan Options and Pricing
The Dinner Party offers a basic monthly membership for $5 per month. There’s also an option to pay $10 per month to cover the cost of your membership and the sponsoring of a membership for someone else. If you can’t afford a membership, you can request a “no questions asked” no-fee membership when you sign up. Cost Free The Compassionate Friends is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping parents, siblings, and grandparents navigate the loss of a child. While it has many local chapters, it also has virtual chapters that offer support through chat and Facebook groups. Its online grief chat support forums are hosted every day, including weekends, at scheduled times. The chat groups are a space for parents, grandparents, and siblings, ages 18 and older, grieving the death of a child to connect and support one another. There are general online bereavement sessions and sessions with specific themes, such as a loss to a substance-related cause. Sessions are hosted by trained volunteers who are also bereaved parents, siblings, or grandparents. They are not professional grief counselors. To join a grief chat support group, you need to sign up for a free membership by entering your name and email address and choosing a password. Its Facebook groups cater to different loss experiences, with examples that include men in grief, loss to drunk or impaired drivers, and loss to miscarriage or stillbirth. Like its live chat group forums, they’re moderated by bereaved parents, siblings, and grandparents. You cannot access a Facebook group unless a moderator approves your request. To request access, click on the link next to the group you wish to join, answer the screening questions, and wait for a notification saying whether your request was approved.
The Compassionate Friends Plan Options and Pricing
All of the resources offered by the Compassionate Friends are free. There are no membership fees or monthly dues. If you want to use the chat rooms but don’t know what to expect, you can attend the chat room orientation sessions on Mondays at 9:45 p.m. or Tuesdays at 8:45 p.m. EST. The Compassionate Friends does not indicate how long its chat room sessions last. Cost Free Sesame Street in Communities is a nonprofit organization that offers developmentally appropriate multimedia tools, such as online videos, storybooks, and activities, in both English and Spanish. Its online grief resources are intended for children ages 2 to 6 and include videos and activities to help families with young children grieve and heal together. It also includes printable materials such as journals kids can use to draw their feelings. According to the Child Mind Institute, drawing pictures and telling stories can help kids learn how to express their emotions, which can be difficult for children to do through words.
Sesame Street in Communities Plan Options and Pricing
All resources from Sesame Street in Communities are free.
What Type of Resource You Prefer Everyone’s grieving process is different, and you may prefer different support than someone else in a similar situation. Options include professional support through individual online grief therapy sessions, peer-to-peer support, group support sessions, and informational resources.How Frequently You Want to Interact With Others Every resource has a different interaction cadence. With structured resources like individual therapy, you may meet weekly or on demand as needed. With support networks on social media sites, you have more opportunities to interact with others more frequently.
How Do You Know When You Need Grief Therapy?
According to Centering Grief Resources, grief support groups are a place to share and support one another, but they do not offer professional advice on how to deal with the specifics of your grief. Mary Joye, a licensed mental health counselor in private practice in Winter Haven, Florida, shares three ways to know if you need grief therapy, such as from online platforms like BetterHelp and Zocdoc:
You ruminate on the event, thinking about what you could, should, or would have done differently. “If the thoughts don’t stop, getting help is essential to getting unstuck,” says Joye.You find yourself “trauma dumping” on people, including total strangers, about what you’re going through in great detail. “It may help to talk to someone who will dedicate time for you to process all your pain,” she notes.You’re experiencing complex grief issues, especially if you have survivor guilt or had a difficult relationship with the deceased.
Engaged in ongoing independent researchMystery shopped each of the brandsContacted the brands’ customer service teams to ask questions and gauge responsivenessConsulted six leading psychologists and psychiatristsBecame customers of online therapy providers ourselvesReviewed academic research about the efficacy of online therapy versus in-person therapy
If you’re looking for online support for pet loss or compassion fatigue, look at the APLB. If you want a structured 13-week program that includes a workbook you can use to reflect on what you’ve learned, GriefShare may be a good option. If you’re between the ages of 21 and 45 and want to connect with peers suffering a similar loss, consider The Dinner Party, which hosts online groups dedicated to various types of losses. If you are mourning the loss of a child as a parent, adult sibling, or grandparent of the child, you may want to consider The Compassionate Friends, which offers support through free daily chat sessions and Facebook groups. And if you’re a parent helping a child ages 2 to 6 through grief, the online videos, stories, printable materials, and activities from Sesame Street in Communities could help your child process their grief and learn appropriate coping skills. You can also reach out to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357). The SAMHSA helpline is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-days-a-year treatment referral and information service for individuals facing mental or substance abuse disorders.
