Emma Payne · 8 October 2019
Virginia Mason's Grief Services clients in Seattle can now receive personalized, text-based support from Grief Coach.Read more
Emma Payne · 29 September 2019
"The messages you've been sending my Mom have been extremely helpful. Her last text was especially relevant as she's getting ready to go to her high school reunion, where she'll see classmates who knew my father. She is preparing herself to share the story of my father’s death with them, and your messages are helping."Read more
Emma Payne · 24 September 2019
Grief Coach subscriptions are thoughtful, long-lasting sympathy gifts, now offered in partnership with GiveInKind, a company that makes it easy for people to coordinate schedules, create wishlists, and even pull funds together, when someone they care about needs a little extra help. GiveInKind sites are a lovely way for friends and family to support someone who is grieving.Read more
Emma Payne · 20 September 2019
A few months ago a young woman purchased a Grief Coach subscription when her baby was stillborn. She was devastated about the loss of her son, but was also struggling with feelings of isolation. Her best friend had flown across the country to help with the new baby, but when she found herself dealing with a death instead of a birth, she left, claiming: “I don’t know how to be with you when you’re like this.”Read more
Emma Payne · 28 August 2019
Are flowers and casseroles what you really want when you’re grieving? Probably not. Here’s how to get the invaluable support you need after a loss.
I’ll never forget a conversation I had with my friend Alison the week after my husband died. I had just moved from the UK to Canada, and was getting set up in a hastily booked apartment. Alison asked me what I needed. “Nothing,” I said, unable to think straight about much of anything. “Do you have any sheets to sleep on tonight?” she asked. “No,” I said. “How about plates or utensils or food?” she continued. “No, I don’t have those either.” We laughed, and Alison proceeded to do the thinking for me. I was lucky.Read more
Emma Payne · 2 August 2019
Now hospices can meet the growing demand for bereavement support with regular tips and reminders delivered via text
Since launching Grief Coach, I’ve been asked time and time again if I find it depressing doing this work. The answer is always, always no.
I don’t find this work depressing — in fact, I’ve never been happier at work than I am today.Read more
Emma Payne · 16 July 2019
On my flight home from my friend's funeral, I thought about the fear and discomfort that had kept people from reaching out when my husband died a decade earlier. Their distance had hurt me, but I now knew that it had hurt them too. For over a decade, people I cared very much about had been carrying around guilt and shame. It all seemed so unnecessary. I knew we could do better.Read more