Free Grief Support Groups - Ocean Springs, MS | The Junction
The Junction Grief Center — known locally as The J — is a grief support center in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, founded on a simple premise: no one should have to grieve alone. Founded by Randi Page, Katie Latch, and Amber Carroll, The J offers a range of grief groups organized around the specific loss a person has experienced, plus ongoing community for people who need longer-term support. Every group and offering is free to those who attend.
What to Expect
The J offers a variety of grief groups designed to meet people where they are, because the type of loss shapes what a person needs to talk about. Groups are loss-specific rather than general, so participants sit with others whose situation genuinely resembles their own. Beyond the groups themselves, The Junction Community offers gatherings over meals, Bible study, and coffee, giving people somewhere to keep showing up after a group ends. Camp Journey and Game Day @ The J extend the offering further. Current group listings, sign-ups, and a calendar are posted on the Junction website — group topics and schedules rotate, so check there or email for what is running now.
Who This Group Is For
Anyone in the Mississippi Gulf Coast area who has lost someone, whether the loss is recent or happened years ago. The J is explicit that timing does not disqualify anyone, which matters — grief support is often framed as something for the first few months, leaving people who are two or five years out with nowhere to go. This is a Christian faith-based center, and its community offerings include Bible study, so people looking for an explicitly faith-grounded space will find one here.
Why Peer Support Works
Grief is isolating in a particular way: the people around a bereaved person usually mean well but run out of words within weeks, while the grief itself lasts far longer. C.S. Lewis, quoted on The J’s own website, described the peculiar doubling of it — not only living each day in grief but thinking each day about living in grief. A group of people carrying the same weight breaks that loop, partly because nothing needs explaining and partly because grief said out loud in a room that can hold it is different from grief kept private. Loss-specific grouping matters too; losing a spouse and losing a child are not the same experience, and being with others who share the particular loss removes the quiet mismatch that general groups can create.
How to Join
All groups and offerings are free to attend, funded by monthly supporters and an annual fundraiser. Visit the Groups page on the Junction website to see current offerings and sign up, or email thejunctionms@gmail.com with questions. The Junction Grief Center is located at 8216 Ocean Springs Road, Ocean Springs, MS 39564. The calendar page lists community gatherings alongside the groups, and volunteer opportunities are open to anyone who wants to help.