What to Expect From This Group

• A safe environment where you can tell your story and express feelings freely, knowing that others will be understanding, non-judgmental, and supportive.

• A place for establishing a connection with others to decrease the isolation that grief brings.

• A forum for understanding common myths about grief and typical grief patterns.

• A place for people of all faiths or no faith to learn from each other through sharing their grief stories and symptoms.

• A community that validates and normalizes your emotional reactions.

• A place for learning that there are many different ways to grieve, all of which are natural and acceptable.

• A resource for gathering articles, poetry, and reading lists to further your awareness of the many aspects of grief. Discussion of articles can serve as a springboard for identifying important meanings in your own loss and to learn from examples of how others have faced their losses.

• A place for learning new coping skills, relaxation techniques, stress management skills, and daily survival skills that others in the group have found effective. The opportunity for members to help each other brings strength, confidence, and a new sense of purpose and value.

• An opportunity for personal writing and/or journaling that promotes self-examination and encourage exploration of the many aspects of loss over time. It is healthy to re-examine the loss at different times in our life cycle in order to recognize self-change and growth and feel good about these changes.

• A sounding board where members can present ongoing or new concerns, report on progress or challenges, and safely come back for help when they experience setbacks or backslides in their grief journeys.

• Gentle Movement, Breath, and Meditation practices to help you sit with and process the grief your body, heart, and mind are holding.