Grief can be lonely even when people around you care. A support group puts you in a room, or on a screen, with others who understand a loss like yours. Many people find that hearing someone else describe the same feelings makes their own easier to carry.
Every group below is run by a real organization, and each one was checked on that organization's own website on 23 September 2026. Schedules change often, so we have not listed meeting times. Check the current schedule with each group before you go. If you would like one-to-one support alongside a group, see Dr. Rabin's grief and loss therapy page.
1. The Compassionate Friends of Boston
Best for: Parents, siblings and grandparents after the death of a child
Where: Trinity Church, 206 Clarendon St., Copley Square, Boston, plus Zoom
The Boston chapter of this national peer support organization meets at Trinity Episcopal Church in Copley Square, one block from the Copley MBTA stop. It also meets on Zoom and runs Zoom subgroups on specific kinds of loss. Its site says meetings are support groups, not counseling, and that participants are bereaved parents, adult siblings and grandparents. It suggests trying three meetings before deciding. Check the current schedule and request the Zoom link at tcfofboston@gmail.com.
Visit The Compassionate Friends of Boston
2. Samaritans SafePlace Suicide Grief Support Groups
Best for: People who have lost someone to suicide
Where: Boston-based; virtual and in-person meetings
Samaritans describes SafePlace meetings as grief support groups for suicide loss survivors, facilitated by trained volunteers who have also lost someone to suicide. It says the meetings are free, ongoing and drop-in, and include groups for all survivors plus specialized groups for parents, partners, LGBTQ+ people and youth. For people not ready for a group, Samaritans also offers one-to-one Survivor to Survivor visits. Check the current schedule on its site.
Visit Samaritans SafePlace Suicide Grief Support Groups
3. Care Dimensions Grief Support
Best for: Hospice-style bereavement groups for any kind of loss
Where: Greater Boston, North Shore and virtual
Care Dimensions, formerly Hospice of the North Shore, runs bereavement support groups and workshops. Its FAQ says its bereavement services are open to anyone in the community who is grieving, whether or not the person who died received hospice care, and its grief pages say offerings are for Massachusetts residents. One-to-one counseling is limited to families of its own hospice patients. Groups are listed by topic, including suicide, substance use, sudden loss, pet loss and a Spanish-language group. Check the current schedule and how to sign up on its grief support page.
Visit Care Dimensions Grief Support
4. Finding Comfort: A Drop-In Bereavement Community (JCC Greater Boston)
Best for: Adults who want a drop-in group in a Jewish setting
Where: Leventhal-Sidman JCC, Newton (02459)
The JCC describes Finding Comfort as a drop-in community for adults grieving the death of someone important to them, whether the loss was recent or years ago. Sessions combine conversation, guided learning and Jewish wisdom and tradition, and the JCC says all are welcome. The current series meets on Monday mornings this fall at the Leventhal-Sidman JCC in Newton, and the page offers online registration. The JCC notes that the gatherings are not therapy. Check the current schedule before you go.
Visit Finding Comfort: A Drop-In Bereavement Community (JCC Greater Boston)
5. The Children's Room
Best for: Grieving children, teens and their families
Where: 1210 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington
The Children's Room supports children, teens and families in Massachusetts who are grieving a death. Its site says its grief support services are free of charge and are offered at its Arlington center, in schools and in community organizations. Its programs include peer support groups, a teen program and a Parenting While Grieving series. Call (781) 641-4741 to ask about the current groups.
Visit The Children's Room
6. Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
Best for: Families who have lost someone to homicide
Where: 15 Christopher St., Dorchester
The Peace Institute describes itself as a center of healing, teaching and learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief and loss. It describes its Survivor Outreach Services as voluntary and complimentary. They include emotional and practical support within the first 24 to 72 hours after a homicide and ongoing healing support for survivors. Contact 617-825-1917 x119 or SOS@LDBpeaceinstitute.org.
Visit Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
How to choose a grief group
Groups differ in who they are for, who leads them and how they run. Peer groups, like The Compassionate Friends and SafePlace, are led by people who have had a similar loss. Hospice programs often use trained bereavement staff. Some groups are drop-in and some ask you to register for a set series.
- Look for a group that matches your loss, such as a child, a partner, a suicide or a sudden death
- Decide whether you want in-person, online, or both
- Ask whether you can come once to see how it feels
- Give it more than one visit. The Compassionate Friends suggests three
When a group isn't enough
Groups and therapy can work well together. If grief is making it hard to sleep, work or get through the day months after a loss, or if the death was traumatic, individual therapy can help alongside a group. Dr. Rabin works with grief and loss in person in Brookline and by secure telehealth across Massachusetts. You can book a free 15-minute phone consultation through her contact page. If you are in crisis, call or text 988. In an emergency, call 911.
Not sure whether a group, one-to-one therapy or both would suit you? The grief and loss guide compares the options.
Related guides
Last reviewed September 2026. This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.
