Goals of our support group
| • | Not to remove the memory, but to remove the power of the memory to control our life |
| • | Grief work enables us to absorb the grief and pain into our lives and move forward in a healthy manner |
| • | To recognize and begin the painful process of grief with education and empathy |
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Our desires are
| • | To promote an increased understanding and awareness of the grieving process |
| • | To suggest useful coping strategies |
| • | To dispel myths surrounding grief |
| • | To acknowledge and encourage the necessity and universality of grieving in a world that would rather not |
| • | An inter-personal, non-threatening environment |
The format used by our group
| • | Is based on the guideline set out in John Saynor's booklet, GENESIS, A Personal Guide Through Grief... John is a retired Anglican priest, retired funeral director, an author, Speaker, Facilitator and founder of Genesis |
Why would I attend a support group
| • | Educating myself in my own grief journey |
| • | Isolation from other family |
| • | Inability of others to speak to my grief |
| • | Unrealistic social expectations |
Where do I go for information
Phone Trinity Church at 728-2691 and ask to have one of the facilitators, Nancy Monkman or Lynda Jane Brown, return your call. They will provide information on when the next Support Group will begin.
Where do I go for information
| • | Educating myself in my own grief journey |
| • | Isolation from other family |
| • | Inability of others to speak to my grief |
| • | Unrealistic social expectations |
Comments from participants in grief and bereavement group
| 1. | The group was a great benefit to me. I was a bit anxious before the first meeting, but I couldn't wait for the second meeting. I lost some of the pain and guilt feelings and gained a lot of understanding and some new friends. |
| 2. | I felt relaxed and was able to open up within this group. It is not like me to be so free with my feelings. |
| 3. | I am able to talk now without crying "every" time. I don't think time heals but it does lessen the pain. At first we shut down and we are numb-the pain seems worse-then healing begins. The group helped me go down that road. |
| 4. | I did not want the group to end, partly because we seemed to draw such strength from the shared experience. |
| 5. | I was amazed by the intensity of the grief which each of us obviously shared-and yet the knowledge that each person's grief is totally different helped us to reach out to one another and become closer. |
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