JSSA — Free Grief & Mental Health Peer Groups Washington, DC
The Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA) offers free and low-cost peer support groups for adults and teens across the Greater Washington area, including grief support, mental health peer groups, caregiver support, and groups for parents and partners of people living with mental illness. Open to community members of any background regardless of faith, JSSA has been one of the region’s primary mental health and family support nonprofits for more than a century.
What to Expect
JSSA runs recurring peer support groups including grief support groups for teens and adults, family support groups for parents and partners of people living with mental illness, caregiver support, divorce and life transition support, and groups for older adults navigating later life. Most groups follow a peer support format with confidential sharing, facilitated by trained JSSA staff alongside peer co-facilitators with lived experience. Groups meet in person at JSSA’s Washington-area locations and via video. There is no requirement to identify with any faith tradition; JSSA explicitly welcomes community members of all backgrounds.
Who This Group Is For
Adults 18 and older in the Greater Washington area navigating grief, mental illness, the experience of supporting a loved one with mental illness, caregiving for an older adult, divorce, or other significant life transitions. Teens are served through separate dedicated youth groups. Members come from across DC, Montgomery County, and Northern Virginia, and represent a wide range of cultural and religious backgrounds.
Why Peer Support Works
JSSA’s peer support model pairs community-based group sharing with the kind of practical guidance — referrals, navigation help, resource education — that bridge clinical and community care. For many members, the group is the first place they speak openly about what they are carrying, and JSSA staff stay alongside them as long as the group is helpful, whether that is a few months or a few years.
How to Join
To learn about current group schedules and register, call 240-800-JSSA (5772) or visit jssa.org. JSSA is intentionally welcoming to community members of any background — the agency name reflects its founding history, not a requirement to access services. Sliding-scale fees apply to some programs but most peer support groups are free. JSSA also offers warm referrals to clinical providers across the DC, Maryland, and Virginia metro for members whose situation eventually needs more comprehensive care. For grief specifically, JSSA works alongside the Wendt Center and other DC-area bereavement organizations, often co-referring members to the group that fits best.