Our culture has never been comfortable with death. When someone close to us has a parent, sibling, or child die, we often don’t know what to say, let alone how to provide comfort and support. It’s hard to witness their pain, and we naturally want to help take their pain away. We generally say "Sorry for your loss," but those words can feel so empty. This post will provide readers with some ideas on what to say and not to say, along with some ideas on how to best comfort and support people who are grieving. Let’s first examine some of the grief concepts.

“It’s better to have a heart without words than words without a heart.” –Mahatma Gandhi

In my more than 35 years as a clinical social worker, I am frequently asked: What........

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