Bereavement Services are Provided by Good Shepherd Hospice

Their professionally trained staff provides bereavement services to hospice families for a period of 13 months after a loss. Additionally, the Good Shepherd Hospice Bereavement Program offers the following non-sectarian services without fees to all residents of Nassau and Suffolk Counties:

Education & Grief Counseling
Office Visits for Individual Counseling
Bereavement Home Visits
Spouse Bereavement Support Group
Adult Bereavement Support Group (For Losses Other Than Spouses)
Children’s Bereavement Support Group (Age Appropriate Support Groups)
Bob Sweeney’s Camp HOPE and Children’s Holiday Gathering
Initial Bereavement Contact & Follow Up Phone Calls
Interfaith Memorial Services

Grief is a journey, not an event. When someone important to us has died, the world has suddenly changed and we are challenged to find new ways to live in it. Though it might not always feel like it, grief is a natural process that can have a wide range of powerful emotions. Each of us experiences grief in our own unique way. It is important to be aware of how grief is impacting your daily life. The Bereavement Specialists at Good Shepherd Hospice are committed to providing comprehensive and accessible bereavement support and education to grieving families in both Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

Bereavement services are an additional benefit provided to our hospice families for 13 months after the death of their loved one. However, these services are not limited to those families who have been on our hospice program. Good Shepherd welcomes those who have experienced the death of a loved one in the community and are in need of support. These services are free of charge:

Bereavement Mailings of Support and Education for 13 Months

Individual and Family Support Sessions – short-term counseling can be provided to children, teens and adults who are grieving the death of a loved one.

Adult Bereavement Support Groups – are facilitated by Bereavement Specialists and are offered throughout the year in numerous locations on Long Island. These 8 week groups are designed to offer support and grief education in a safe, confidential environment.

Grief Holiday Workshop Series – holidays such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Thanksgiving, Hanukah and Christmas can be particularly stressful and can often magnify grief. These workshops offer encouragement, education, support and coping strategies to help you manage the demands of the holidays.

Bi-Annual Interfaith Remembrance – come and spend a beautiful evening of music, reflection, honoring, and remembering your loved one. Share in memorial rituals, which highlight the service. These non-denominational services focus on the celebration of life and are offered in the spring and fall.

Lights of Love – is a holiday memorial program with a tree and menorah lighting. Lights of Love services are held each December in three different locations on Long Island. Family and friends have the opportunity to remember their loved ones. See our December Calendar of events for more information.

Specialized Bereavement Support for Children and Their Families

Children grieve differently than adults when a loved one dies. Good Shepherd Hospice Bereavement Specialists provide a safe, supportive environment that assists children in their grieving process. Evidence based programming is offered recognizing that children respond differently to the death of a loved one based on their age and developmental stage. The mission of this service is to promote healthy grief, healing, education, growth and hope for the future.

Connections: A Child and Family Bereavement Program – This is an 8 week bereavement group program for children ages 5-17 years old and their caregivers who have experienced a death of a loved one. Children engage in therapeutic activities that encourage emotional healing, increase understanding, development of healthy coping skills and preservation of memories. Adult caregivers attend their own concurrent support group, where they will learn about the nature of their children’s grief and how to best support them.This program is offered in both English and Spanish.

Bob Sweeney’s Camp H.O.P.E. – This is a free two day bereavement camp which takes place annually in July. Camp H.O.P.E. provides children and teens, ages 5 – 17, the opportunity to come together to learn new ways of coping with their grief and to meet other children and families. This camp offers therapeutic activities with a focus on fun and relaxation and is held in Camp Alvernia in Centerport. Current research suggests that bereavement camps. are effective in helping children and their families develop and build resilience in dealing with loss. This camp is offered to both English and Spanish speakers.

Bob Sweeney’s Holiday Party – This is a free event open to school-age children (5 years old to 17 years old) who have experienced the death of an immediate family member – parent, grandparent or sibling. Caregivers will also participate in the day’s activities.

Bereavement Services for the Community

School Support Services – consultation, support and education for students, faculty and parents when there is a death or anticipated death in the school community.

Crisis Intervention and Debriefing – consultation and support services for sudden and/or traumatic loss in the community.

Training and Workshops – specifically designed for healthcare professionals.

Customized Bereavement Programming – development of specific programming to meet the needs of any business, congregation or community organization to better understand the experiences of loss and grief.

For questions or more information please call the Good Shepherd Bereavement Department at

516-465-6262 or 631-465-6262