Online Support (Live Chat)

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The Compassionate Friends offers “virtual chapters” through an Online Support Community (live chats). This program was established to encourage connecting and sharing among parents, grandparents, and siblings (over the age of 18) grieving the death of a child. The rooms supply support, encouragement, and friendship. The friendly atmosphere encourages conversation among friends; friends who understand the emotions you’re experiencing. There are general bereavement sessions as well as more specific sessions.

Welcome! These chats are offered as part of our volunteer outreach by The Compassionate Friends [TCF]. We are a nationally renowned non-profit organization which provides highly personal comfort, hope, and support to every family experiencing the death of a child, sibling or grandchild, and helps others better assist the grieving family.

We adhere to the principles of The Compassionate Friends [TCF]. See www.compassionatefriends.org to learn more.

The intent of our Online Support Community is to provide mutual comfort, hope, and support through conversation. We are not professional grief counselors.

The following are the criteria for participating in these chats overseen by trained TCF volunteers who are also bereaved parents, siblings or grandparents:

• What is shared in the chat rooms stays in the chat rooms. Do not use our group or member information for anything other than conversation on this page.
• Comment with respect for other members’ feelings and points of view.
• TCF espouses no specific religious or philosophical ideology. Respect the beliefs and non-beliefs of others by commenting about your own as they relate to you specifically, without remarks or linked content that would challenge another person’s beliefs or non-beliefs.
• You may discuss your experience with a spiritual medium/psychic, but do not offer services, names, websites, links or contact information.
• Do not tag or post identifying information about people who are not members of our group. Do not post screen shots or the text of conversations you have had with others.
• Our members are not a resource for sales, fundraising, causes, promotions, services, surveys, studies, petitions, free offers or in-kind services. Do not post links even if it doesn’t directly benefit you.
• Do not post links or hashtags to organizations, Facebook pages, groups, web sites or personal blogs.
• Do not solicit donations or in-kind items and services.
• If you are considering suicide, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, text CONNECT to 741741, access the web site crisischat.org, call 911 or go to your local emergency room.
• Due to possible identity theft, do not post nor ask for personally identifying information including your child/sibling/grandchild’s full birth and death dates.
• Anyone who violates these guidelines or disrespects a moderator or admin can be removed from the chat room.

Everyone has a place here. We welcome you with open hearts and we’re glad you found us. Your support, mutual respect and kindness make these chats work!

We need not walk alone. We are The Compassionate Friends [TCF].

Please Note: Select “enter room” under the chat room you would like to participate in and you will be prompted to register. Once registered you will be able to log-in with your username and password that you have set up. 

Due to unforeseen circumstances, there may be times when a  moderator may not be available to lead one of the chats. We apologize for not being able to find another moderator to lead the chat, especially when we were given short notice, and hope that you will join another chat and/or return the following week.  We try very hard to find someone to substitute. Thank you for your understanding.

Chat rooms are open to bereaved parents, grandparents and adult siblings. If you are looking for more information regarding The Compassionate Friends, please contact the National Office at 877.969.0010.

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Find a Local Chapter

Use the chapter locator to find out information about chapters in your area. Locate a Chapter by selecting your state and zip code.

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