Grief and Loss | Chelsea Jennings, LCSW-C

resources for GRIEF & Loss

Griefcast is my #1 recommended resource for grief at any stage after a loss. It is "a podcast that examines the human experience of grief and death - but with comedians, so it’s cheerier than it sounds." The host, Cariad Lloyd, lost her father when she was 15 years old and began this podcast as a way to process her own loss. The discussion of all different types of grief has helped both my understanding of the varied ways people process their grief as well as aiding my own grief process. Grief can be incredibly isolating and the most important messages of this podcast is that you are not alone.

Promptly Grief Journals

Journaling can be a powerful way to process many things, but grief in particular. This journal set provides one journal for the raw emotions of the grief process. It has thoughtful prompts that allow you to access new areas of your thoughts and feelings. The second journal is a Remembrance journal that asks questions about the loved one you have lost so that you can keep your memories of that person.

The Year of Magical Thinking

Joan Didion describes the experience of complicated grief in her memoir about the loss of her husband while her daughter was in the ICU for an unrelated, and unexpected, near death medical experience.

Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy

Sheryl Sandberg lost her husband suddenly when they were in their early 40s. She tells the story of learning to rebuild her life when the life she chose was no longer an option. She discusses what she learned about the grief process along the way.

Grief Works

This book is high on my "To Be Read" list. I am recommending it without having read it after hearing Julia Samuel interviewed on Grief Cast (the host refers to her as Saint Julia and cites helpful information from this book consistently throughout the podcast). I learned so much from her one hour interview that I know this book is packed with helpful information.

The Adult Orphan Club

Flora lost her mother suddenly when she was 20 years old. Only a decade later, her father passed after a battle with cancer. At 30 years old she had lost both her parents and joined the Adult Orphan Club. This book is written as both a memoir of the experience and a practical guide about the administrative process following a death.

I Will Carry You

The story of a mother choosing to carry a baby for the duration of pregnancy after the baby was found to have a medical condition making her incompatible with life. Her story is interwoven with the Biblical story of Lazarus. This book is only recommended for those who find comfort in faith. It is written from a distinctly Christian perspective.
Content Warning: Infant Loss

I Had a Miscarriage

Jessica Zucker is clinician who has worked in the field of reproductive and maternal mental health for many years. She wrote this book about her own experience with a late miscarriage.
Content Warning: Graphic description of miscarriage.