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Grief & loss

Losses no one sees

Name the losses people don't send cards for — a relationship, custody, health, a home, a career, the future you expected.

About 15 minutes · 7 questionsGrief therapy
Fill it in online — freeThe print dialog can also save it as a PDF.

Grief & loss~15 minGrief therapy

Losses no one sees

Name the losses people don't send cards for — a relationship, custody, health, a home, a career, the future you expected.

Why this helps

Researchers call these 'disenfranchised grief' (Doka) and 'ambiguous loss' (Boss) — losses that aren't recognized, or that have no clear ending, like a loved one in active addiction or an estrangement. Naming them is the first step to grieving them.

1. Losses I've had that others may not see

Check any that apply

  • A relationship or marriage
  • Time with my children, or custody
  • My health, or my body as it was
  • A job or career
  • A home
  • Friends who were part of my old life
  • A pet
  • A loved one still in active addiction
  • Someone who's alive but out of my life
  • The life I expected to have
  • Years lost to addiction or illness
  • My old identity

2. The one that weighs on me most — and what it meant

3. Other losses that came with it (money, routines, roles, plans)

4. Why it's been hard to grieve this one

5. What remains — what I still have, or what's still possible

6. One thing I could rebuild or grow

7. Who I could talk to about this loss

From the Workbook on Amity Connect, via RecoveryHome.comFor reflection and practice — not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. In crisis, call or text 988.amityconnect.com/app/workbook/hidden-losses
Keep your answers somewhere safe
This worksheet, online and private, on Amity Connect — free for individuals, built by the same team. Your answers stay yours; if you're with a recovery home that uses it, they can assign it to you and see only what you choose to share.
Open it on Amity Connect
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About this worksheet
It comes from the Amity Connect workbook, built by the same team as RecoveryHome, and is free to print and share. It's for reflection and practice — not a diagnosis, and not a substitute for professional care. Content is never written or edited by advertisers. If you're in crisis, call or text 988.

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Losses no one sees — free printable worksheet · RecoveryHome