On The Web

The Wendt Center for Loss and Healing offers these links as a resource. To keep this list relevant and useful the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing welcomes feedback on the sites linked below, as well as recommendations of sites to be added to this list, and notification if any links are no longer working. Email info@wendtcenter.org to provide feedback.

For General Information on Grief

• AARP’s Grief and Loss
  Offering articles, discussions, resources and tools for coping with grief and the loss of a loved one.
• Association of Death Education & Counseling
  ADEC is an interdisciplinary organization in the field of dying, death and bereavement. Its members include mental and medical health personnel, educators, clergy, funeral directors, and volunteers.
• GriefNet.org
  An Internet community of persons dealing with grief, death and major loss.
• HOPE for Bereaved, Inc.
  Provides hope, support and services for the bereaved.
• Hope for Grieving Families
  A network of support for grieving families in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area.
• National Cancer Institute
  This patient summary on loss, grief, and bereavement is adapted from the summary written for health professionals by cancer experts.
• National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health
  Entry from online medical encyclopedia including symptoms and treatments of grief, as well as links to support groups.
• Haven of Northern Virginia
  A non-profit, non-sectarian community organization of trained volunteers that offer emotional support to the bereaved, the seriously ill, the dying and to their family and friends. Haven provides education to the community about the needs of those who are grieving. Offering one-to-one support, open and closed groups for widow/widowers, loss to suicide, general bereavement and children and teens who are grieving.
• OptionB
  An online community that collects and shares stories of adversity to help people build resiliency and find joy.

For Death from AIDS

• CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s primary reference, referral, and publications distribution service for HIV and AIDS information. Services are aimed primarily at professionals.
  P.O. Box 6003, Rockville, MD 20849-6003.
  Phone (800) 458-5231.
  TTY (800) 243-7012. E-mail: info@cdcnpin.org.

For Death of Armed Forces or Law Enforcement Officer

• COPS—Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc.
  Nationwide non-profit 501(c)(3) organization providing resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of survivors of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty as determined by Federal government criteria.
• TAPS—Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, Inc.
  National non-profit organization made up of, and providing services to, all those whose loved one has died while serving in the Armed Forces.

For Death from Cancer

• American Cancer Society
  Information on cancer, including coping with a long-term illness and dealing with grief and loss after death from cancer.
• Candelighters, Childhood Cancer Foundation
  A national non-profit membership organization whose mission is to educate, support, serve, and advocate for families of children with cancer, survivors of childhood cancer, and the professionals who care for them.

For Death of a Child/Children

• Alive Alone
  Organization for bereaved parents, whose only child or all children are deceased.
• BP/USA—Bereaved Parents of the USA
  Nationwide organization designed to aid and support bereaved parents and their families who are struggling to survive their grief after the death of a child.
• Compassionate Friends
  Grief support after the death of a child.
• MADD—Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD)
  MADD’s mission is to stop drunk driving, support the victims of this violent crime and prevent underage drinking.
• M.I.S.S. Foundation (Mothers In Sympathy and Support)
  Offers support to families in crisis after the death from any cause of a baby or young child.
• POMC—Parents of Murdered Children, Inc.
  POMC® makes the difference through on-going emotional support, education, prevention, advocacy, and awareness.

For Death of an Infant

• First Candle/SIDS Alliance
  SIDS and Other Infant Death bereavement services are a critical component of the Alliance’s mission.
• National SIDS/Infant Death Resource Center
  8201 Greensboro Drive, Suite 600, McLean, VA, 22102
  Phone (866) 866-7437
• SIDS Network
  Web site of information about Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Other Infant Death (SIDS/OID).

For Death of a Parent(s)

• A Time To Grieve (Book)
  Meditations for Healing After the Death of a Loved One
• After a Loved One Dies—How Children Grieve
  And how parents and other adults can support them

For Death of a Spouse/Partner

• AARP’s Grief and Loss
  A collection of articles and resources including “On Being Alone: A Guide for the Newly Widowed.”
• Widow Care
  An organization dedicated to serving widowed men & women in the DC metropolitan area through a variety of free programs, including monthly peer support groups, social meetups, educational/grief seminars, one-on-one mentorship & more.
• WidowNet
  Information and self-help resources for and by widows and widowers.

For Elderly People

• ElderHope, LLC
  Dying, death and grief information targeted to the elderly, including an online class on grief.

Homicide Related Resources

Disclaimer: Inclusion on this list does not constitute an endorsement from the Wendt Center for Loss and Healing for the agencies or services they provide.

• National Organization for Victim Assistance
• DC Burial Assistance
• Survivors of Homicide
• MPD Homicide Family Liaison Unit

For Homicide Survivors

• National Center for Victims of Crime
  Information and resources for those who have had a loved one murdered.
• National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA)
  1757 Park Rd., Washington, DC 20010
  Phone (202) 232-6682 or (800) 879-6682. Email info@trynova.org
• Office of Victims of Crime Resource Center, National Criminal Justice Reference Service, US Dept. of Justice
  Box 600, Rockville, MD 20850
  Phone (800) 851-3420
• POMC (Parents of Murdered Children)
  POMC’s vision is to provide support and assistance to all survivors of homicide victims while working to create a world free of murder.

For Life-Challenging Illness

• American Cancer Society
  Information on cancer, including coping with a long-term illness and dealing with grief and loss after death from cancer.
• U.S. Pain Foundation
  The Foundation’s mission is to improve the quality of life of people with pain by providing practical information for patients, raising the public’s awareness and understanding of pain, and advocating against barriers to effective treatment.
• Candelighters, Childhood Cancer Foundation
  A national non-profit membership organization whose mission is to educate, support, serve, and advocate for families of children with cancer, survivors of childhood cancer, and the professionals who care for them.
• Hospice Education Institute
  An independent, not-for-profit organization, serving members of the public and health care professionals with information and education about the many facets of caring for the dying and the bereaved.
• The Hospice Foundation of America
  Not-for-profit organization that provides leadership in the development and application of hospice and its philosophy of care.
• Cancer Care
  National non-profit organization providing free professional help to people with all cancers.
• National Cancer Institute
  This patient summary on loss, grief, and bereavement is adapted from the summary written for health professionals by cancer experts.
• The National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
  National organization dedicated to advancing the art and science of end-of-life care.
• The Living Will
  Information on how to make and/or register a living will.
• How to Tell Someone You Have Cancer – An interactive conversation starter. 

For Service Members and Families

• The Department of Veterans Affairs
• Defense Centers of Excellence
• Military One Source
• National Resource Directory
• The National Veterans Foundation

For Substance Abuse

• Start Your Recovery
  Free, confidential tool that helps individuals take steps toward a healthy relationship with drugs and alcohol.

For Suicide Survivors

• American Association of Suicidology
  Nonprofit organization dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide.
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
  The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is dedicated to advancing our knowledge of suicide and our ability to prevent it.
• Friends for Survival, Inc.
  Friends For Survival, Inc. is a national non-profit outreach organization open to those who have lost family or friends by suicide and also to professionals who work with those who have been touched by a suicide tragedy.
• Suicide Prevention Advocacy Network
  A non-profit national organization that aims to save lives through suicide prevention.

For Youth

• NCTSNet.org
  Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to raise the standard of care and improve the access to services to children, families and communities.