Bereavement Support
VNA & Hospice offers a variety of bereavement support programs for youth and adults.
Note: For the drop-in groups, there is an email that goes out ahead of each group meeting. If you would like to be on the email list for any particular group(s), please contact Shelly at 413-727-5749 or slenn@mgb.org.
Youth Groups
The Garden: A Center for Grieving Children and Teens
The Garden provides support to grieving young people ages 5-18, and their families following the death of someone close, including parents, siblings, other family members, or friends. We have an on-site and virtual program for the whole family and support area schools with our outreach program. There are no limits on how, where, or when the death occurred. Our aim is to give grieving young people a safe place to share, remember and connect with others who are also grieving.
Call us at 413-727-5749 or click here for more information.
Adult Groups
Walking Group
An in-person, drop-in Walking Group for bereaved adults that takes place at Look Park in Florence. This group aims to meet on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month from 10:30 – 11:30 am. The next walking group will meet Friday, January 23. These walks are weather-dependent. After a brief welcome, bereaved adults walk, share, and connect around their grief experience. Please keep in mind that this is a walk where we intend to walk at the pace of our slowest walker(s) and isn’t meant for a cardio workout.
Call 413-727-5749 or click here for date/location information.
We’re proud to share that Shelly Bathe Lenn, our bereavement coordinator and director of The Garden: A Center for Grieving Children and Teens, was recently featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday!
Listen to the full interview and hear how walking and talking are helping people find comfort and community.
Expressive Bereavement Arts Group
Join us for the next in-person Expressive Arts Group on Tuesday, January 27, 2026, from 5 – 6:30 pm. This group is in collaboration with the Chesterfield Council on Aging located at 400 Main Rd. Chesterfield. RSVP required. Please call 413-296-4007
Book Group
A virtual, drop-in bereavement book group for bereaved adults that tries to meet every other month on the 2nd Wednesday from 5:30-7 pm. We discuss, share highlights, and comment on a book connected to grief and loss. Books are chosen at the end of each group. The current book the group is reading is, Bearing the Unbearable: Love, Loss and the Heartbreaking Path of Grief by Joanne Cacciatore. Adults only and free of charge. The next book group will meet on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.
Call 413-727-5749 or click here for more information.
Grief Support Group
This in-person support group for bereaved adults meets weekly on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 – 7 pm in 8-week sessions. The group consists of 5-8 participants and includes a mix of journaling, sharing, grief education, and learning coping skills. The group meets at 22 Atwood Drive, in Northampton, 2nd floor conference room. There is a required intake and commitment to schedule. Call or email with questions about this group. Free of charge.
Call 413-727-5749 for schedule and intake.
Faces of Grief Exhibit to Spotlight Personal Stories of Loss Through Photography
Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice and The Garden: A Center for Grieving Children and Teens are proud to announce a collaborative photography exhibit with Springfield Technical Community College (STCC) titled Faces of Grief. This exhibition will run from January 20 to February 6, 2026, at the Carberry Fine Arts Gallery on the STCC campus, with a public reception scheduled for Saturday, January 31, 2026, from 11 AM to 1 PM.
Faces of Grief invites viewers into the intimate world of loss and remembrance. Under the guidance of Professor Sondra Peron, STCC darkroom photography students will capture portraits of grieving individuals holding, wearing, or displaying objects that connect them to loved ones who have passed away. Each portrait will be developed as a gelatin silver print and gifted to the participant following the exhibition.
“Grief is often a silent experience,” says Shelly Bathe Lenn, Bereavement Coordinator at Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice. “This project offers a powerful way to honor those we’ve lost and to open up conversations that help us feel less alone.”
Lenn, who has led grief support groups across Western Massachusetts since 2002, uses creative rituals and dialogue to help individuals navigate the complexities of mourning. Her work with The Garden and Cooley Dickinson VNA & Hospice continues to foster healing spaces for children, teens, and adults.
The Faces of Grief exhibit aims to destigmatize grief and transform discomfort into connection. All are welcome to attend the reception and view the portraits that reflect love, memory, and resilience.
For more information or to participate, please contact Shelly Bathe Lenn at 413-727-5749.