By the Numbers 8 June 2026
27 million
The number of people who are "impacted by bereavement" resulting from "approximately 3.1 million deaths in the United States every year," according to a recent paper from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) -- A Systems-Based Approach to Supporting Individuals Who Have Experienced Grief and Loss.
Grief is the natural response to bereavement that can be intensely painful, disorienting, and disabling, often affecting the health and mental health of those who experience it. Yet health, mental health, and substance use service providers and service systems leaders often fail to recognize and understand grief and thus do not provide the support grieving individuals might need. Parallel to the work of trauma-informed services, promoting grief literacy as well as offering an organized approach to grief interventions can benefit support staff and recipients of services and provide a common platform from which to improve the care of people who are in mental health services and the care of people who serve them. This paper presents a G.R.I.E.F. framework for system leaders and policymakers to help set an intention to shape grief-informed service delivery systems. Doing so would equip everyday service providers with knowledge and skills to walk alongside individuals experiencing loss; to gain their trust; and to validate, support, and guide them on their grief journey. The G.R.I.E.F. framework outlines five core principles to guide the development and implementation of high-quality grief-informed services throughout the community and within clinical service systems.
27 million
The number of people who are "impacted by bereavement" resulting from "approximately 3.1 million deaths in the United States every year," according to a recent paper from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) -- A Systems-Based Approach to Supporting Individuals Who Have Experienced Grief and Loss.
Grief is the natural response to bereavement that can be intensely painful, disorienting, and disabling, often affecting the health and mental health of those who experience it. Yet health, mental health, and substance use service providers and service systems leaders often fail to recognize and understand grief and thus do not provide the support grieving individuals might need. Parallel to the work of trauma-informed services, promoting grief literacy as well as offering an organized approach to grief interventions can benefit support staff and recipients of services and provide a common platform from which to improve the care of people who are in mental health services and the care of people who serve them. This paper presents a G.R.I.E.F. framework for system leaders and policymakers to help set an intention to shape grief-informed service delivery systems. Doing so would equip everyday service providers with knowledge and skills to walk alongside individuals experiencing loss; to gain their trust; and to validate, support, and guide them on their grief journey. The G.R.I.E.F. framework outlines five core principles to guide the development and implementation of high-quality grief-informed services throughout the community and within clinical service systems.