Anam Cara offers a variety of supports for bereaved parents who have lost a child and those who support them. These services are open to any parent whose child has died, regardless of the age of their child, the circumstances of their death, or how recently they have been bereaved.

Peer to Peer support groups are at the core of what Anam Cara does. These groups both online and in fourteen locations across the island of Ireland provide a special kind of support—a safe place for you to be yourself wherever you are on your grief journey. These gatherings offer recognition, understanding, and normalisation in intense grief, and we hope to share with you a sense of hope in meeting parents further on. Peer support meetings are different from group therapy or counselling sessions, which tend to be more goal-oriented discussions with a mental health professional. Many parents utilise a combination of supports as they move through grief. Each Anam Cara support meeting is facilitated by a bereavement or mental health professional and a volunteer parent—someone who knows the experience of losing a child. Together, they ensure a welcoming and respectful environment, where all people can bring their whole selves without fear of judgement, criticism, or condemnation. We also offer Bereavement Information Meetings, to grow your understanding of the grief process and how to tend to yourself during this time, and Family Remembrance Events throughout the year, to invite new ways of remembering your child from yourself and your family. Our services are available to you as long as you need them, free of charge.

The fact that you are here shows that you are brave and resilient and might be ready to take the next step in sharing your grief with people who deeply understand by attending one of our supports. This too, takes courage. At your first event you may want to share your whole story, or maybe just listen. You may want to attend every event, or just once or twice a year. You might attend and feel you are not ready yet—that’s okay, you can come back anytime, and the support of Anam Cara will be open to you.