Getting Started with Grief Companion
Grief Companion is a daily companion app for anyone moving through loss — in any form. Whether you are grieving a person, a relationship, a career, a diagnosis, a version of yourself, or a future you expected to have, this app meets you where you are.
You do not need to explain or justify your grief. All of it is valid here.
Who This App Is For
Grief takes many shapes. Grief Companion is built for all of them:
- Bereavement — the death of a loved one, including pregnancy and infant loss
- Relationship loss — breakups, divorce, estrangement, friendship endings
- Career and identity loss — job loss, retirement, role transitions, loss of purpose
- Health grief — living with a new diagnosis, chronic illness, disability, or anticipatory grief for someone you love
- Anticipatory grief — grieving losses that haven't fully happened yet, such as watching a loved one decline
- Regret and missed opportunity — paths not taken, choices that can't be undone
- Pet loss — the death of an animal companion
- Identity transitions — leaving behind who you were to become who you are
What You Can Do (Free — No Payment Required)
The free tier is complete. You do not need a subscription to access core tools:
- Grief Journal — free-form and guided entries with emotion tagging
- Memory Book — preserve photos, stories, and moments that matter
- Grief Dimension Assessments — structured self-reflection across seven dimensions of grief
- Coping Prompts — tailored to your specific type of loss
- Grief Education Library — articles and guides on the science and experience of grief
- Self-Care Routine Tracking — gentle daily check-ins
No account is required to use any of these features. Your data stays on your device.
First Launch
When you open Grief Companion for the first time, the app walks you through a short, gentle onboarding flow designed to take less than three minutes.
Step 1: Select Your Grief Type
You will be asked what kind of loss brings you here. Choose the option that fits best — you can change this later or add additional loss types in Settings. There is no wrong answer.
Step 2: Name What You Lost
You will be invited to give a name to what you are grieving — a person, a relationship, a role, a future. This is optional but helps the app personalize prompts and check-ins. This name stays private on your device.
Step 3: Set Your Check-In Time
Choose a time of day for your daily reflection prompt. You can pick morning, afternoon, evening, or late night — whenever feels most natural. You can adjust this anytime in Settings.
Step 4: The Multi-Dimensional Grief Model
Before you reach the main app, you will see a brief introduction to how Grief Companion thinks about grief. Rather than treating grief as a single emotion or a set of linear stages, the app tracks seven dimensions:
- Emotional Intensity — the raw feeling of your grief right now
- Daily Functioning — how grief is affecting your daily life
- Meaning-Making — your ability to find or seek meaning
- Connection — feelings of isolation or belonging
- Acceptance — your relationship with the reality of the loss
- Identity — how the loss is shaping who you are
- Hope — your sense of the future
Understanding these dimensions helps you see your grief more fully — not just how heavy it feels, but where you are finding footing and where you still need support.
Step 5: The Dashboard
You arrive at the Home screen — your daily starting point. A crisis resources banner is always visible at the top. Tap it at any time to access crisis support lines and mental health resources.
Navigating the App
Grief Companion has five main areas, accessible from the tab bar at the bottom of the screen:
| Tab | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Home | Your dashboard — daily check-in, recent activity, grief dimension snapshot, coping prompt of the day |
| Journal | Write free-form or guided journal entries, tag emotions, review past entries |
| Memories | Add and browse photos, stories, and moments in your Memory Book |
| Assess | Take grief dimension assessments and view your results over time |
| Settings | Manage your grief type, check-in time, notifications, account (if signed in), and privacy settings |
Crisis Resources
A crisis resources banner is permanently visible on the Home screen. No matter where you are in the app, you can always return to Home and tap that banner to find:
- National crisis and suicide prevention hotlines
- Grief counselor directories
- Text and chat-based crisis support options
This app is a self-help tool, not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you are in crisis, please reach out to a professional.
Account and Sync
You do not need to create an account to use Grief Companion. All core features work fully offline and store your data locally on your device.
If you choose to sign in (available on the Settings screen), your journal entries, memories, and assessment results can sync across devices. Sign-in is required for Plus and Pro features.
Subscription Tiers
| Tier | Price | What It Adds |
|---|---|---|
| Free | No cost | Complete core — journal, memories, assessments, prompts, education library |
| Plus | $3.99/month | AI-personalized prompts, voice recordings in Memory Book, cross-device sync |
| Pro | $8.99/month | AI companion conversations, complicated grief detection and guidance |
Core features are never gated. The free tier is designed to fully support your grief journey without payment.
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