The Experiences of Virtual Support for Grief and Bereavement

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many mental health service providers to switch to virtual methods of service provision. Grief and bereavement supports are no exception, with both peer and professional supports being offered online. A goal of this study was to examine grievers experiences with online peer or professional support. Grounded in social support theory, this research implemented a qualitative design involving semistructured interviews with 25 participants who received professional and/or peer grief support in Midwestern Ontario, Canada. Ten participants received professional support, seven received peer support, eight received both support types, and all experienced virtual support. Analysis methods included a hybrid of inductive and deductive thematic analysis. Participants highlighted advantages and disadvantages of virtual support, including advantages of support at home and disadvantages of no in-person environment to facilitate bonding. Implications for this project include informing the social support sector of strengths and limitations within virtual support services for grief.