Grief is a normal reaction to loss. Although grief can be wrought with sadness, anger, and anxiety, it serves an important purpose. Grieving allows people to come to terms with their loss by figuring out how to move forward in life, while still cherishing memories of their loved one.

The Grief Fact Sheet provides basic information about grief, with a focus on normalization. Grief is presented as a natural process that is adaptive, despite being painful. This handout includes facts about common grief responses, timeframes, risk factors, the goals of grieving, and more.

While there are many types of loss that lead to grief, this worksheet focuses on grief resulting from the death of a loved one. We suggest using this handout as an aid during grief education, especially with those who are just starting to discuss their grief.

For information on working through grief, see the Tasks of Mourning worksheet: