Yes, Wellspring’s Bereavement Support Group is a structured, professionally led program offered completely free of charge, with no doctor’s referral required. It runs for eight weeks with 90-minute sessions held once a week, and is designed specifically for people grieving a loved one’s cancer death. When group size allows, participants are placed into either a spousal group or a family group — because the grief of losing a life partner and the grief of losing a parent, or sibling, are different experiences that deserve their own dedicated space. Research published in Qualitative Health Research found that professional support combined with confidentiality and active listening had a measurably positive impact on bereavement adjustment in family caregivers of cancer patients. found that professional support combined with confidentiality and active listening had a measurably positive impact on bereavement adjustment in family caregivers of cancer patients.
Grief doesn’t follow a schedule, and there’s no single right moment — but Wellspring’s structured Bereavement Support Group is thoughtfully designed for people who are between three months and one year into their loss, a window where structured, consistent support tends to make the most meaningful difference. If you’re earlier in your grief and not yet ready for a group, or further along and looking for something ongoing rather than time-limited, Wellspring offers other options that may be a better fit right now.
There is, and you don’t have to explain it to a room that has never been there. Wellspring offers a dedicated bereavement support group specifically for people whose partner or family member chose Medical Assistance in Dying — because grieving a MAID death can bring a distinct and layered set of emotions that differ meaningfully from other kinds of loss, and a general grief group may not have the space to hold that fully. The group follows the same eight-week, 90-minute weekly format as Wellspring’s other bereavement programs and is led by a professional facilitator in a safe, confidential setting. Like every Wellspring program, it is completely free and requires no referral.
Yes, Wellspring’s Transitions Support Coach (available only in Alberta) offers a personal, one-on-one appointment for exactly this. The session is built around deep listening and giving you the space to express whatever you are carrying, followed by help mapping a way forward that is grounded in your own beliefs, values, and needs — with referrals to additional resources provided where relevant. Research on one-on-one support programs like this has found meaningful improvements in quality of life, grief adaptation, and anxiety in people navigating loss. It is a single conversation, not a commitment, and it can be the first step toward finding the fuller support that’s right for you.
Reflections on Grief, Loss and Cancer is a monthly gathering that sits somewhere between education and emotional support — and for many people, that combination is exactly what they need. Each session is guided by Cindy Lang, a Registered Social Worker and Transitions Support Coach with over a decade of experience in grief support, who opens with psycho-educational material on a topic related to grief before gently encouraging sharing at whatever level participants feel ready for. Participation within the session is always optional, and the space is designed to honour difficult emotions rather than move past them, with the understanding that healing and hope are possible even in the depth of grief. Peer support programs like this one have been found in published research to improve quality of life, self-compassion, and grief adaptation in people facing bereavement.