Virtual Grief Support [iPhone]

The free "Virtual Grief Support" app was created by a team of virtual volunteers from the non-profit My Grief Angels - MyGriefAngels.org in memory of the over 500,000 that have passed on in the United States and to honor and support their families and friends.

Back in 2014, My Grief Angels created the first proximity-based mobile app to enable people to create their own local grief support networks. The award-winning app was downloaded thousands of time by people worldwide, but because of the many technological changes since it was launched, and the new timely needs of the millions grieving the loss of loved ones to or during the pandemic, a new team of volunteers worked tirelessly to conceive, develop and launch the new "Virtual Grief Support" app.

The app features include:

1. Free Peer-led Virtual Grief Support Groups by Type of Loss Experienced. In the app, users will be able to join the groups of their choice, register for weekly virtual meetings, review the calendar of all meetings scheduled, and continue talking with their group members after the virtual sessions are over via group-specific chat spaces.

2. Directory of Other Virtual Group Support Groups - In case, the My Grief Angels' free peer-led groups are filled to capacity, users will be able to access a directory of other virtual groups by type of loss experienced, specific groups and locations.

3. Grief Journal - Many in the My Grief Angels' online community of people grieving, have found the creation of their own grief journal as a helpful tool in their grieving process, and the app will enable to write their daily grief journal here and then save to their phones. The data from the journals must be downloaded to their phone before logging off the app or it will be lost. The data from the journals cannot be saved on the app to respect each user's privacy.

4. General Chat Space - While each virtual group has its own chat space per type of loss, users will also have access to a general chat space for times when there are no users in their own groups' chat spaces.

5. Families' Grief Stories - The team of volunteers that worked on the app wanted all of us to remember and share the real stories of some of the many families that faced and are continuing to face unimaginable grief caused by the pandemic.

6. Your Story Video-Uploader - The app enables users to help others grieving by sharing their own grief journeys and specifically what they found most helpful in their grieving process. The collected videos will be compiled by type of loss experienced and shared with future app users as an additional support resource.

7. New Grieving Processes - The pandemic has not only caused millions of deaths worldwide, but it has also changed the grieving processes and support resources available to the millions grieving those unexpected and very painful personal losses. In this section of the app, the latest information and research on how our grief journeys are being impacted is shared.

8. The Grief MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) - An Online Course on Grief. The online course's information, curriculum, reviews and access to the two platforms where users can take the free course on "How Grief Can Kill or Empower Us" is provided to users in this section.

9. Grief Groups - For users not able or comfortable in using the free video-based grief support groups shared in this app, access to My Grief Angels' Online Group, and to Option B groups(one of the country's largest Online Grief Support Groups} is also provided here as another alternative.

10. News & Information - The latest information and tweets on Grief, Grief Research and Grief Into Action examples are shared daily in this section of the app

The Virtual Grief Support App is not a replacement for professional mental health/therapists and grief support counselors, and it is strongly suggested that users seek that help prior to using the app and joining these peer-led virtual grief support groups.