Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley’s Bereavement services is excited to announce two new support groups starting in march. Both of these 8-week programs will focus on a specific loss:
Healing Hearts: Helping Teens & Tweens Understand Life After a Loss
Who: Teens and Tweens, ages 11 – 18
Where: The Hospice Center (6805 US-11, Potsdam)
When: Tuesday evenings from 5:00-6:30 p.m., April 7th – May 12th
Teen years can be turbulent ones under the best of circumstances, and the addition of the death of a relative, parent, friend, sibling, or peer can be devastating even for the most well-adjusted adolescent. Common grief symptoms, such as intense mood swings, sadness, anger, fear, and guilt can become very frightening and unpredictable. They often feel isolated and unable to talk about the death with peers who have not had a similar experience. They also may be reluctant to share their grief with surviving family members for fear of upsetting them. Too often, teens end up grieving alone. Teen support group participants are much more likely to report that they felt understood as opposed to teens who did not participate in support groups (76% versus 8%). At Hospice of St. Lawrence Valley, we provide a safe, non-judgmental environment to learn about and express grief and facilitate healing.
Missing You: Navigating the Loss of a Child of Any Age
Who: Adults who’ve lost a child of any age
Where: The Hospice Center (6805 US-11, Potsdam)
When: Wednesday evenings from 5:30-7:00 p.m., April 8th – May 13th
It’s been called the most difficult of all losses because no parent should ever outlive their child. When it happens, parents need a safe space to connect, share stories, and learn to rebuild their lives. Those who share their fears, confusion, anger, guilt, frustrations, emptiness, and feelings of hopelessness in a compassionate and understanding environment are better able to move toward healing. We provide a common ground for parents to celebrate the lives of their children or grandchildren, sharing the joys and the heartbreaks as well as the love that will never fade.
Registration in advance is requested. For more information and to register, contact our Bereavement Coordinator, Donna Trimm Calk at (315) 265-3105 or dtrimmcalk@hospiceslv.org
315-265-3105