Video Collection · For Supporters · 4 Videos
How to Show Up for Someone After a Death in the Family
Short videos for the moment someone you care about is grieving and you don't know what to say.
How this collection works
- Who watches this
- You — the person showing up. These videos aren't for the recipient.
- When
- Before a conversation, when you're not sure what to say. Watch alone, take a beat.
- What each beat is for
- Caption orients you before watching. Takeaway is the line to hold onto. Reflection questions turn watching into a small decision.
The collection · 4 videos
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How to help a grieving friend: the animation
Megan Devine · 3 min
A grief therapist on why acknowledging the pain helps more than trying to fix it.
Takeaway
You can't cheer someone out of grief. Acknowledgment - "I'm so sorry this is happening, do you want to tell me about it?" - helps even when nothing can be made right.
Reflection
01
Catch the next time you reach for a fix ("at least...", "have you tried..."). Write down the fix-it line you tend to use, so you can hear yourself stop it.
02
Draft one acknowledgment sentence with no advice in it at all. Read it aloud - does it let the loss simply be true?
03
Plan one question that invites them to talk about the person who died, only if they want to. What will you ask?
End of collection