After the funeral service, families may not get the support they need. Oftentimes, the reality of their loss may not fully set in until long after the funeral service. And by then, their family and friends may have stopped reaching out as much about their loss.

That’s where your funeral home’s staff can come in. By offering your families grief programs, you can make sure they’re getting the support they need to grieve and honor their loved one.

Let’s discuss a few grief program ideas to boost your funeral home’s aftercare services.

Grief Workshop Topics

Hosting educational grief workshops is a great way to help your community learn healthy ways to cope with their loss. It also can help define different types of grief and what grieving methods work best for them.

Below are a few grief workshop topic ideas:

• Healthy ways to cope with grief
• Cope with an unexpected death
• Cope with secondary loss
• How grief is different for everyone
• Cope during year one of grief

Remembrance Programs

Remembrance programs allow families to honor their loved one’s life and have a safe place to openly express their grief. It also can help them feel closer to their loved one.

Below are a few remembrance program ideas:

• Annual holiday remembrance program
• Outdoor remembrance program in your funeral home’s memorial garden
• Honoring lives one year after a loss, five years after a loss, etc.
• Remembrance program on a special holiday such as Valentine’s Day
• Seasonal remembrance programs

Healthy Grieving Events

Hosting events centered around healthy grieving helps your funeral home get involved in the community while also helping your families. It also provides them with a support system of others who are going through a similar loss.

Below are a few healthy grieving event ideas:

• Pet therapy event at your local animal shelter or at your funeral home with your therapy dog
• Event for creating DIY personalized mementos to honor a loved one
• Community walk/run to honor those who have passed away
• Volunteer event to turn grief into positive action
• Community potluck or dinner to bring people together during their grief

Grief Program Ideas

Offering grief programs for people to get group or individual support can make a major difference in their grief journey. Additionally, it can help them figure out how to live their life without the physical presence of their loved one.

Below are a few grief program ideas:

• Community grief support group for those who have lost a loved one
• Meet and greets with your funeral home’s therapy dog
• One-on-one discussions between a funeral director and someone who is grieving a loss
• Professional grief counseling sessions at your funeral home’s facility or community center
• Consider having your staff get certified by The American Academy of Grief Counseling’s Certified Grief Counselor certification program to offer your own grief counseling services.

Online Grief Resources

Online grief resources allow you to reach grieving families from wherever they are. You can share these helpful resources on your funeral home’s website, blog, social media pages, and via email.

Below are a few online grief resource ideas you can start with:

• Frazer Consultants’ 365 Days of Healing email subscription during year one of grief
• Educational webinars or live streaming your funeral home’s seminars on social media, such as with Facebook Live
• Online Q&A to answer families’ questions about funeral planning and healthy grieving
• Event recaps on your funeral home’s social media pages such as photos and videos from the event
• Facebook Events feature to reach more families in your community for your grief events

Download our free grief eBook to learn more grief program ideas and other ways to help your client families grieve!