A program helping people deal with grief after the loss of a loved one begins meeting this week in St. Joseph.
Don Weston with Brookdale Presbyterian Church is one of the facilitators of the GriefShare group which meets at the church. He said, over the years, through the program, they have helped over a hundred people dealing with grief.
“There’s a need for facing grief and I think people who come really enjoy being there with others and it helps them get that walk through that loss that they had,” Weston said.
The 14 week program features video sessions which cover topics including living with grief, the effects of grief and your family and grief. Each session is “self-contained” so participants can begin attending at anytime.
Kathleen Fisher lost her husband last year and began attending GriefShare in January.
“I believe that GriefShare was a Godsend,” Fisher said. “The Lord brought me there to really help me get through the grief, to understand what all is entailed in grief because (with) other losses I’ve had in my life I don’t think I really did go through the grief. Through GriefShare I get so much comfort and love, just to be able to be there and talk about your grief and to see these videos that really show the different emotions that you’re going through in grief. It just gives you hope and comfort that there’s other people that are going through the same grief that you are and know that there’s help out there.”
Fisher said GriefShare is a good atmosphere to help anyone dealing with loss to deal with their grief at their own pace.
“Sometimes it’s hard to find your relatives and friends that really know what to say when you’re going through grief,” Fisher said. “But there everyone is experiencing the same kind of grief. It might be different whether they lost a child, a parent or a spouse or a friend, they’re still experiencing that deep grief and it gives you something in common. It’s hard to find anywhere to go to really share what’s going on with you.”
Weston says while GriefShare is a faith based program participants don’t have to be member of any church or denomination to attend.
The GriefShare Support Group will meet from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursdays starting Sept. 1, at Brookdale Church, 203 South 31st Street. For more information call Brookdale Church at (816) 279-0983.
A group will begin in Maryville on Sept. 12. Meetings will take place at 9:30 a.m. at the Maryville Public Library, 509 North Main Street. For more information call the AseraCare office at (816) 324-1250.