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The Six Needs of Mourning

Serenity Funeral Home of Southern Utah • July 8, 2025

When we lose someone we love, we enter into the grieving process. Moving through this process takes time and does not end the day of the funeral or memorial service.

Dr. Alan Wolfelt is the Director of the Center for Loss & Life Transition and is a respected author and educator on the topics of grief and healing. He writes that, although everyone grieves differently, there are “six needs of mourning” that everyone should encounter as they move through the grieving process. These six needs are:

  • Acknowledge the reality of the death
  • Embrace the pain of the loss
  • Remember the person who died
  • Develop a new self-identity
  • Search for meaning
  • Receive ongoing support from others

Dr. Wolfelt describes these six needs as steps on a “to-do list” that we should slowly move through over time. He states that completing each step at our own pace will eventually help us transition into a new life – a life without our loved one, but one of meaning and purpose.

For more information, please visit the link below, provided by the Center for Loss & Life Transition.

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