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Grief Buddies

A peer to peer grief resource offered through The Grief House.

Launched in Winter 2026 and coordinated by Denise Gangadharan. The form below gets you started on your Grief Buddies journey. You can expect us to reach out within 4 weeks. We assess and match seasonally (mid-late June, mid-late September, mid-late December, mid-late March). For new submissions, you can expect pairing emails during these windows.

Reach out to griefbuddies@griefhouse.org with questions.

Grief Buddies is a connection program designed to bring together individuals who have experienced the loss of a loved one. Our goal is to thoughtfully match each person with another individual who is also navigating grief, creating space for shared understanding, connection, and mutual support.

While we do our best to match people with similar experiences, we cannot guarantee a perfect pairing. Each connection, however, is made with care and intention.

The 1:1 Grief Buddy experience offers a personal complement to support groups—it allows space for deeper, more individualized conversation that may not always fit within a group setting. It can provide consistency, accountability, and a safe, private place to talk openly with someone who understands. Many participants find that combining both group gatherings and one-on-one connections creates a more balanced and supportive grief journey.

Whether you are newly grieving or further along in your experience, Grief Buddies provides a compassionate way to connect with someone who understands the many layers and seasons of loss.

 

Let's get started.

Grief Buddies Program Expectations

Grief Buddies is a peer-to-peer support program created to offer connection, understanding, and companionship through shared experience of loss. It is not therapy, counseling, or a crisis hotline. Support is offered by individuals who have personally experienced loss and are willing to walk alongside another person with empathy and care.

  • Grief Buddies is a 1:1 peer connection, not a professional service.

  • Each Grief Buddy connection is set up for an initial period of approximately 12 weeks and new rounds of connections will be made seasonally.

  • During this time, participants are encouraged to connect weekly, based on mutual preference and availability.

  • At the end of the 12-week period, the connection may be extended if both individuals feel it is beneficial and if the Grief Buddy does not have another match waiting.

  • Communication may occur by text, email, phone, or in person, depending on what both individuals prefer.

  • Communication should be mutually respectful, flexible, and mindful of each person’s personal lives, schedules, and emotional capacity.

  • Either participant may pause or end the connection at any time if it no longer feels supportive.

A Shared Understanding

Grief Buddies exists to provide a space for honest conversation, mutual respect, and connection with someone who understands loss firsthand. This program is meant to complement—rather than replace—support groups, counseling, or other professional supports.

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All grief is welcome here.

All are welcome here.

This is an LGBTQ+ and BIPOC-affirming place.

The Grief House is not a replacement for skilled mental health care. We cannot provide acute crisis intervention. If you’re struggling to find the help you need, we are happy to offer referrals and suggest resources. If you feel like you might hurt yourself or someone else, help is available 24 hours a day from the National Suicide Hotline (1-800-273-8255) or by dialing or texting 988. If you are having a medical emergency, please dial 911.

Finding Us

Our spaces are open for gatherings & designated open house hours. 

The Atlanta Grief House Nickerson Cottage at Legacy Park Decatur 500 S. Columbia Dr, Decatur, GA 30030 Notes on finding us: GPS will take you to the center of Legacy Park. The Nickerson Cottage is a stone building with raised bed gardens on the south side of Legacy Park's campus. If you enter campus through the south entrance it will be the first cottage you come to. You can park in any of the surrounding lots. If coming in the evening you will see the string lights on our front porch. Nickerson Cottage is largely wheelchair accessible.

The Portland Grief House 7906 N Fessenden St, Portland, OR 97203 Notes on finding us: We are the green house on the corner of N Fessenden & N Allegheny Ave. Enter through the gate at the corner.

Wilderings, operating as The Grief House, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN  84-4336786) and all donations are tax deductible. 

The Grief House works on and serves communities on land that is the unceeded territory of the Muskogee, Cherokee and Creek peoples in Georgia and the Clackamas, Stl’pulmsh, Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla and Siletz peoples in Oregon.

 

We honor them as we live, work and serve grievers on these unceeded lands. 

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