Weekly coping with grief group available to students in counseling office

The counseling department is giving students who are experiencing loss the opportunity to heal with a grief counseling group. One of the starters of the group, counselor Erin Gardner said, “We started the grief group about eight years ago. We had several students who were dealing with the death of a family member or friend. When talking with these students they were interested in a group that would allow them to talk about how they were feeling with others who were going through similar things.” 

The group, however, has not been in action every year since then. “We have tried to offer this group every year since and sometimes once each semester. We will send out a Google form, and if we have enough interest, we will run the group.”

The group will meet once every week in the counseling office if put into action. Those interested can use the Schoology form posted before spring break to sign up. “We usually pick a day after we meet and find out what works best for the students. We then try to alter the hour so it does not meet the same hour every week.Group usually lasts about six-eight weeks. We discuss what grief is and the different stages of grief. We discuss different coping strategies, we do activities and sometimes we just talk. We try to make it a very safe and comfortable place for students to talk about how they are feeling and dealing with the loss of their loved one.” 

Whether students want to share their stories and emotions or if they simply want to listen to what other people are going through, Gardner said it can be beneficial for students either way.

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