Resources...
GriefConnect is dedicated to providing a growing array of resources. Some are free, some are not--but hey, you didn't expect everything to be free, now did you?
Check back here frequently as our site continues to "morph" to meet the needs of our users!
Consolidated Bereavement Assessment (FREE resource)
Click here to download our free assessment form, used by Bill Hoy to keep track of the most important parts of a bereaved client's story. The file includes a one-page blank form and a one-page copy filled in with typcial assessment questions you might want to ask in your interaction with clients. You can also access a YouTube video on how to effectively conduct an assessment interview with a new client.
Our Books and Booklets
Filled with practical ideas for starting or growing a bereavement support group,
Guiding People Through Grief provides simple directions for professionals and lay caregivers alike. Bill Hoy overviews the grief process using his now famous "compass model" and provides straightforward advice on deciding where, when and how to start a group. From his own experience working with hundreds of bereaved people in support groups, he explains how to deal with problem people in groups, common pitfalls to avoid, and what to do when the discussion "lags." One chapter is devoted to leading grief groups for children and teens.
With wide margins and reflective journal activiites throughout, the book is an excellent manual for training new group leaders in hospices, schools, community centers, and faith communities. About this book, J. William Worden writes, "This book is a nifty resource for those who are working with or who want to work with the bereaved. Bill Hoy has a great deal of first hand experience helping grieving individuals both in groups and otherwise. Even the experienced grief group leader will find useful gems in this book."
$ 24.95 includes tax and shipping
Road to Emmaus: Pastoral Care with the Dying and BereavedWritten from an evangelical Christian perspective, Road to Emmaus is a theologically thoughtful and intensely practical guide for pastors, pastoral care associates, and congregational volunteers. Practical suggestions abound--including talking with the dying, supporting families after traumatic losses, funerals and memorial services, counseling after mass tragedies and suicide, and ministering to unchurched people after a death.
The book is rich with anecdotes from the author's more than 25 years working with the dying and bereaved--as a hospice chaplain, pastor, and pastoral counselor. Here is strong biblical and historical theology of death and grief, with great practical ideas for pastoral caregivers who serve in the trenches. Road to Emmaus is being used in ministry training programs and seminary classrooms across North America. Contents include...
Binding Up Broken Hearts--a summary of the five most important tasks in pastoral care
Where is God When it Hurts?--the importance of and guidance in an informed theological perspective of death and bereavement
The Nuts and Bolts of Bereavement--how the grief process does (and does not) work
When Death Draws Near--reflection and practice in accompanying the dying and their families
Making Sense of the Services--understanding and deciding about funeral and memorial options
Ministry to the Unchurched--keys for ministry when the dying, the dead and their families are unaffiliated with your congregation
Contemporary Opportunities for Pastoral Care--choices about organ transplant, issues with children and teens and dealing with community trauma
Mobilizing Volunteers in Bereavement Ministry--recruiting, training and supervising the people who "carry the torch" long-term for the church's ministry to the bereaved
Appendix: Using Scripture in Ministry with the Dying and Bereaved
Now in its eleventh printing, Finding Direction in Your Grief is a twelve-page booklet designed specifically for bereavement programs in hospices, faith communities, funeral homes and hospitals to give to their constituents. Tens of thousands of bereaved individuals have been helped by the sensitive, practical insights shared in this booklet. Seeing grief as a journey, Finding Direction helps grieving people when they "cannot see the end" of the path to discover new vistas and opportunities, even in the midst of intense heartache. This is not a "cheer up, get over it" kind of resource but it is filled with hope and healing.
Binding Up the Brokenhearted: Ministry through the Church Bereavement Team 
With dozens of practical ideas for the church's ministry to bereaved people, Binding Up the Brokenhearted offers simple concepts of use in any sized congregation or bereavement ministry. Through this booklet, church ministry teams learn about seven principles for most effectively serving the dying and grieving: act, understand, participate, remember, cooperate, support, teach and learn.
This 16-page booklet is an excellent training tool to use when developing church ministry teams to work with bereaved people. Binding Up the Brokenhearted provides creative ideas that can help you start or further develop your ministry team.
As low as $ 2.95 in quantity
Free White Papers and Other Resources
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