Providing Support & Education To Those Who Grieve

Suggestions for Use

The Grief Support Mailings™, comprised of Letters and Educational Enclosures, are intended for persons your organization has identified as the "primary bereaved." There is a specific Letter and Enclosure to send to the bereaved each month, through the one-year anniversary of the death.

Although the mailings are designed for sending monthly, there are alternative ways to use them. Here are some ideas:

  1. Send quarterly or bimonthly mailings. You choose which Letter and Enclosure to send with each mailing.
  2. Use the Educational Enclosures as handouts in your Grief Support Groups. This provides consistency in quality and appearance. A topic outline for the group sessions could be based on the handouts.
  3. Take the Enclosures on home visits as a resource for the bereaved.

The Letters are formatted for printing on your organization's letterhead. The Enclosure that accompanies each Letter may be printed on a paper of your choice. Soft tones are recommended, if you use colored paper.

For organizations using our online database, letters will automatically print a personalized salutation, as "Dear Betty," and the name of the sender below the signature space. Customers using the CD may wish to personalize each Letter with a handwritten greeting, such as "Dear Betty," and a handwritten signature at the end. You can also add a handwritten note if you wish.

The Special Holiday Insert should be added to the October or November mailing. In any of the mailings, you can also include invitations to join a support group or attend a special event your organization is sponsoring. A brochure specific to a person's type of loss can also be included, if you wish.

In the CD version, we've included a sample tracking form to help you track the mailings. If you need a more sophisticated system to cut down on staff or volunteer time, consider our Grief Support Mailings With Database.

My hope is that the Grief Support Mailings will enhance your important and sacred mission of providing support and care to those who have lost a loved one. Please do not hesitate to contact me with comments or suggestions for future editions. Thank you.

--Rebecca Hauder, R.N. M.Ed., LCPC, LMFT