Grief Support Groups
Finding the right grief support group can feel overwhelming, especially when every loss and healing journey is unique. We understand that it’s not always easy to know where you’ll feel most comfortable or supported.
This guide is designed to help you navigate our offerings and find a group that aligns with your current stage of grief—so you can connect, heal, and move forward at a pace that feels right for you.
🌳 Tier 1: Recent Loss Support
(Loss within the last 18 months)
Tier 1 groups are created for individuals who are navigating the early days of grief—when emotions can feel especially intense, unpredictable, and isolating. These sessions provide a safe, structured, and compassionate space where participants are gently supported as they begin processing their loss.
Calendar Key: 🌳
🌳🌳 Tier 2: Open Support
Tier 2 groups are designed for individuals who are further along in their grief journey and are seeking continued connection without the structure of a formal curriculum. These groups offer a flexible, welcoming environment where participants can come and go as needed.
Calendar Key: 🌳🌳
🌳🌳🌳 Tier 3: Peer-Led Connection Groups
Tier 3 offerings focus on healing through connection, community, and everyday experiences. These groups are more informal and are often peer-led, creating a relaxed and supportive atmosphere centered around companionship rather than structured discussion.
Calendar Key: 🌳🌳🌳
🌱 Youth Support
Grief affects children and teens differently, and age-appropriate support is essential. Our youth programs provide safe, engaging environments where young individuals can express emotions, build coping skills, and connect with peers who understand their experience.
Calendar Key: 🌱 Kids | 🌱🌱 Teens
Blooming Hearts: Tuesday Support Group 🌳
Blooming Hearts offers a compassionate space for adults 18+ coping with the loss of a loved one. The group provides a chance to share experiences, explore grief, and find support.
The Retreat at Quarters Lake
8890 Quarters Lake Rd., Baton Rouge, LA
Every Tuesday
Time: 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
*This group is free to attend, but registration is required.
Life After Parent Loss 🌳
Life After Parent Loss - No matter how old you are, losing a parent reshapes your world. It's a loss that can feel strangely invisible to others — especially if you're "supposed to" be resilient, busy raising your own family, or years past the funeral — even as it quietly reshapes how you see yourself, your family, and your own mortality.
This group offers adults a space to share, process, and connect with others who understand this particular kind of grief. Whether your loss is recent or long past, and whatever your relationship with your parent looked like — close, complicated, or somewhere in between — you're welcome here.
Expect a safe space to speak freely, practical tools for coping with grief triggers like holidays and family milestones, and a community that truly gets it.
Dates: Mondays, details to be announced soon.
Time: 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Facilitator: Sara Sotile, LCSW
*This group is free to attend, but registration is required.
The Unfinished Goodbye Support Group 🌳
“The Unfinished Goodbye" is a co-ed support group for those (ages 18+) navigating the complex grief of losing a loved one to suicide. Unlike traditional grief, suicide loss often leaves survivors with unanswered questions, unresolved emotions, and a sense of interrupted connection. This group offers a safe, structured space to share stories, honor pain, and find solidarity—without pressure to "move on."
The Retreat at Quarters Lake
8890 Quarters Lake Rd. Baton Rouge, LA 70809
Date: Mondays
Time: 6:00PM - 7:30PM
Facilitator: Sara Sotile, LCSW
*This group is free to attend, registration is required.
Widow(er) Ever After 🌳
The Widow(er) Grief Support Group offers a safe, compassionate space for both men and women who are grieving the death of a partner. Here, you’ll find understanding, encouragement, and community among people who truly “get it.” This group brings together individuals with shared experiences, allowing you to talk openly about your grief, honor your loved one, and find comfort in knowing others walk this path too.
The Retreat at Quarters Lake
8890 Quarters Lake Rd., Baton Rouge
Dates: Tuesdays
Time: 6:00 P.M. - 7:30 P.M.
Facilitator: Sara Sotile, LCSW
*This group is free to attend, but registration is required.
Blooming Hearts: Thursday Support Group 🌳🌳
Blooming Hearts offers a compassionate space for adults 18+ coping with the loss of a loved one. The group provides a chance to share experiences, explore grief, and find support.
The Retreat at Quarters Lake
8890 Quarters Lake Rd., Baton Rouge, LA
Every other Thursday
Oct. 22, Nov. 5, Nov. 19, Dec. 3, Dec. 17
Time: 6:00 PM-7:30 PM
*This group is free to attend, but registration is required.
A Light That Remains 🌳🌳
"A Light That Remains" is a support group for mothers and fathers grieving the death of a child of any age. The group offers a compassionate space to share memories, express grief openly, and connect with others who understand this particular kind of loss. The death of a child carries its own weight—grief that doesn't move in a straight line, and a bond that continues even as life goes on. Here, you'll find people who won't rush your healing or ask you to "move forward," only to walk alongside you.
Dates: Every Tuesday
Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm
Facilitator: Sara Sotile, LCSW
*This group is free to attend, but registration is required.
Fathers Beyond the Silence: Monthly Peer Grief Support Group 🌳🌳
“Fathers Beyond the Silence” is a monthly peer support group tailored for men who have experienced the profound loss of a child. This group offers a safe and confidential space for fathers to come together to share their grief, reflect on their experiences, and provide mutual support. With a trained facilitator present to guide discussions and ensure a respectful environment, participants can engage in open dialogue about their experiences, memories, and coping strategies.
The Retreat at Quarters Lake
8890 Quarters Lake Rd., Baton Rouge
Dates: Oct 1, Oct 28, Nov 19, Dec 17, Jan 28, Feb 25, March 25, April 29, May 28
Time: 6:00pm
Facilitator: Randall Dunn
*This group is free to attend, but registration is required.
Healing Together: LGBTQIA+ Virtual Grief Support Group 🌳🌳
Healing Together: LGBTQIA+ Grief Journey is a support group dedicated to LGBTQIA+ individuals aged 18 and over who are navigating grief related to coming out, losing connections with friends or family, or experiencing other identity-related losses. This group provides a safe and inclusive space for participants to share their experiences, express their emotions, and find solace in a community that understands their unique challenges.
This is a virtual group.
Dates: Every other Monday evening
Sept. 21, Oct. 5, Oct. 19, Nov. 2, Nov. 16, Nov. 30, Dec. 14, Dec. 28
Time: 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Facilitator: Kirsten Dantin, LPC
*This group is free to attend, but registration is required.
Life After Loss: Widow(er) 🌳🌳
Life After Loss: Widow(er) Support Group offers a safe, compassionate space for both men and women who are grieving the death of a partner. Facilitated by a therapist and meeting biweekly, this group creates room for real peer connection — a place to talk openly about your grief, honor your loved one, and hear from others who truly "get it." Guided support keeps the space grounded, while the shared experiences of the group are what make it feel like home.
Dates: Every 2nd and 4th Thursday
Oct. 22, Nov. 12, Nov. 26, Dec. 10
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
*This group is free to attend, but registration is required.
Open Arms: Grief Drop-In Group 🌳🌳
At The Retreat, we understand that grief is a deeply personal journey that can affect people in different ways.
Our co-ed Drop-In General Grief Support Group, for adults 18+, offers a welcoming and compassionate space for individuals experiencing any type of loss. Whether you are grieving the loss of a loved one, a significant life change, or any other personal loss, you are invited to join us.
The Retreat at Quarters Lake
8890 Quarters Lake Rd., Baton Rouge, LA
Dates: Thursdays
Times:
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
*Registration is not required.
The Unfinished Goodbye 🌳🌳
"The Unfinished Goodbye" is a co-ed support group for those (ages 18+) navigating the complex grief of losing a loved one to suicide. Meeting biweekly, the group offers a safe, structured space to share stories, honor pain, and find solidarity—without pressure to "move on." Unlike traditional grief, suicide loss often leaves survivors with unanswered questions, unresolved emotions, and a sense of interrupted connection. A trained facilitator guides discussions, but the circle is peer-led, emphasizing mutual understanding over advice.
Dates: Every 1st and 3rd Thursday
Oct. 15, Oct. 29, Nov. 5, Nov. 19, Dec. 3, Dec. 17 (No group on Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve)
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
*This group is free to attend, but registration is required.
Seasons of Grief 🌳🌳🌳
"Seasons of Grief" is a four-week, peer-led art workshop designed for adults navigating various forms of grief. Participants will explore their emotions through abstract art, using the symbolism of the four seasons to reflect on their experiences. Beginning in the fall, each week will focus on a different season—starting with autumn, the season we are living in, and moving through winter, spring, and summer—providing a creative outlet for expression and healing. The group is led by peers with their own lived experience of grief, who create and share alongside participants.
Dates: 2nd Monday of Every Month starting in November.
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
*This group is free to attend, but registration is required.
Sunset Grief Yoga 🌳🌳🌳
As the day softens into evening, join us for a gentle yoga practice created for anyone carrying loss. Whether your grief is new or years old, for a person, a pet, a relationship, or a life you imagined, you're welcome here exactly as you are. Each session blends slow, accessible movement, breathwork, and quiet reflection, closing with a guided rest as the light fades. There's no need to talk, share, or have any yoga experience. Tears, stillness, and simply showing up are all part of the practice.Sunset reminds us that endings can hold beauty, and that we don't have to rush toward morning. Come rest, breathe, and be held in community with others who understand.
All levels welcome. Mats and props provided.
Dates: 3rd Tuesday of every month, starting in November.
Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Facilitator: Kim Kennedy
*This group is free to attend, but registration is required.
Midday Mindfulness & Reflections: Drop-In Group 🌳🌳🌳
Midday Mindfulness & Reflection at The Retreat provides a peaceful and inclusive space for individuals of all faiths and backgrounds to gather for reflection, comfort, and healing in the face of grief.
Join us for 30 minutes of meditation, prayer, or silence.
The Retreat at Quarters Lake
8890 Quarters Lake Rd., Baton Rouge, LA
Dates: Every Tuesday and Wednesday
Time: 11:30 AM - 12:00 PM
*Registration is not required.
Looking for a Support Group That’s Not Here?
At The Retreat, we’re always looking to expand our offerings to better serve our community. If there’s a specific kind of support group you’d find helpful, we’d love to hear from you! Please contact us at the link below. to share your suggestion. Your input helps us create a space where everyone can find the support they need.
