Services

Supportive counseling is available to anyone in our community who is grieving a death or coping with a life-limiting illness. Grief counseling is offered at any time, after any death. Counseling is also available to support individuals with a life-limiting illness and their loved ones, offered at any time after diagnosis.

Counseling is provided by Licensed Therapists, Registered Associate Marriage and Family Therapists and Associate Clinical Social Workers, and Master’s Prepared Trainees under the clinical supervision of licensed staff.

Hospice of San Luis Obispo offers Support Groups which provide emotional support and education about the grief process and finding comfort through connecting with others who have had a similar experience. Support Group meetings are offered according to the needs of the community, and often change to meet those needs. The current schedule of support groups is online and regularly updated.

Please note that all meetings are offered without charge, although a tax-deductible donations are always appreciated as we are a non-profit organization.

Hospice SLO County's Community Grief Response Team provides timely counseling support, consultation, and education about grief and coping with loss, including anticipating a loss and sudden death. Community Grief Response services are provided to businesses, schools, churches, government and community agencies at no charge. Trained staff and volunteer counselors work with both children and adults, and consult with groups and agencies on the approach that feels most helpful to them.

Our in-home volunteers provide a consistent supportive presence for the entire family. By utilizing a blend of professional and volunteer skills, the Hospice SLO County staff offers a comprehensive, integrated care program capable of giving specialized and sensitive volunteer support to clients and their families at no charge.

Hospice SLO County helps caregivers caring for loved-ones with life limiting illness to find and access extra resources and support needed. Being a family caregiver is stressful and our Care Manager strives to help ease the burden of finding appropriate resources to assist the home caregiver with respite, care needs, planning or access to services.

Hospice SLO County believes that pets are part of the family. Pet Peace of Mind helps seriously ill people with some of the care for their pets. Sometimes a much beloved pet is the most important source of companionship for seriously ill people.

Hospice SLO County’s end-of-life companions provide non-medical, holistic support and comfort to the dying person and their family, which may include education and guidance; emotional and spiritual support; and practical care.

Hospice SLO County offers Reiki with trained practitioners for clients, caregivers, volunteers, and community members. Sessions are 25 minutes long and they are booked in advance. 

Reiki is a gentle, natural, and reassuring energy intended to support the healing process on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Reiki is often experienced as a relaxing and powerful yet unobtrusive flow of healing energy. This service offers a space and time to relax deeply and surrender to receiving unconditional love.

Our heart is a drum; it beats with a natural rhythm of life… Open your heart and connect with your body during our monthly drum circle at Hospice SLO County. When we drum together, we embrace community and escape isolation. Drumming can relieve stress, release tension and provide an outlet for anxiety.

Hospice SLO County offers Yoga with trained practitioners for clients, caregivers, volunteers, and community members.

Join the conversation... Death Cafes are offered all over the world, providing individuals the opportunity to talk openly about dying and death. These casual gatherings aim to "increase awareness of death while helping people make the most of their (finite) lives."

A Death Cafe is a group directed discussion of death with no agenda, objectives or themes. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counseling session. We invite community members to join a relaxed, non-judgmental group discussion about topics related to the inevitability of death. There is no intention of leading participants to any particular conclusion, product or course of action.

Appointments for assistance are available, Monday through Friday, from 10 AM to 4 PM at Hospice SLO County located at 1304 Pacific Street in San Luis Obispo. Zoom or phone conversations are also available. Please call our office at 805-544-2266 to schedule an appointment.