Bereaved Families of Ontario (BFO) facilitates and reinforces the normal grief process by providing mutual support to enable bereaved parents, children, adolescents and young adults to reduce their sense of isolation and rejoin mainstream life. BFO provides ongoing professional volunteer supervision and support to the facilitators through a professionally designed volunteer program.

BFO provides a place for individuals to discuss their experiences and learn about grief with others who have been there.

One-to-One Session

Meeting with a peer volunteer in a one-to-one session is mandatory before joining a group. This is an opportunity for you to ask questions, meet with another bereaved person with a similar loss, and determine whether peer support is what you are looking for.

After this session is complete, staff will be in touch about whether you will be added to our waitlist for the appropriate peer support group if you are still interested in joining a group.

Please complete our Online Intake Form in order to schedule your first one-to-one call with a volunteer from Bereaved Families of Ontario – Toronto. All personal information provided is used to help serve our community better by identifying areas of need and support. Only Bereaved Families of Ontario – Toronto will have access to this information and it will not be used in any way to discriminate against those seeking further information. Your responses are kept private and secure. If you have any other questions, please reach out to us at info@bfotoronto.ca.

Peer Support Groups

BFO-Toronto runs peer support groups seasonally, in the fall, winter, and spring. Each group will have two volunteer facilitators, who are trained to create and maintain a safe space for the group by managing the flow of conversation and maintaining group structure with flexibility. Facilitators bring their unique grief experiences and facilitation rituals to the group making each group experience unique.

Peer support groups are small, closed-membership groups of 8-12 people who have experienced similar losses and want to explore their grief in a confidential, supportive setting.

Groups that are offered are:

• Young Adult Groups (18-29 years old)
• Spousal Loss Groups (over 55 years old & under 55 years old)
• Family and Friend Loss Groups (over 30 years old)
• Child Loss Groups (for parents/caregivers who’ve lost children of any age)
• Mother’s Day and Father’s Day Drop-ins
• Coping with the Holidays (end of the year)

Groups that can be offered are:

• 2LGBTQIA+
• Direct Support Staff
• Adults with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities
• Homicide, Suicide & Overdose
• Parent & Children (6-12 years old)