The Parents' Group
Support for bereaved parents
Basic Facts
q What is The Parents’ Group?
The Parents’ Group is a support group
for individuals whose child has died. It
is a community bereaved parents and their loved ones who
share their experiences of loss and grief with each other for the purpose of instilling
hope, comfort, and peace. The
Parent’s Group provides an environment of safety, respect,
compassion, and mutual support. Through
sharing, parents discover that they are not alone in
their grief. Through the example of others, they learn that they can survive the devastating impact
of the loss of their child and find ways of coping.
While individuals gain comfort, insight,
and support from others, their presence provides the same service for others.
Many parents find that the act of giving and caring for other bereaved
parents helps them in coping with their own
loss.
q
How
does the group work?
The Parents' Group meeting format is
informal. Though there is no
predetermined agenda, the focus of each meeting is on parents’ experiences of
grief, loss, and growth. The
specific direction of each meeting is determined by the needs of the parents who
attend.
q
How
will I know that the group is appropriate for me?
You may decide to consider your first
group meeting a “trial meeting” during which you determine if the group can
benefit you at this point in your grief journey.
People deal with grief in different ways. You may find that listening to other’s stories helps you
with you own grief. You may find
that the expression of grief in the group intensifies your own feelings of
distress. Many parents have
indicated that they did not want to attend the group because of the
intensification of distress it seemed to trigger.
Yet these parents opted to continue with the group. They found that despite the intensification of their grief,
they were helped by the process and found better ways to deal with their pain
through the shared interaction with others.
This may be true for you as well. If,
however, you find that the group is too intense for you at this point in your
journey, you are always welcome to return to the group at any time you choose.
The door is always open.
q
What
does it cost to participate in The
Parents’ Group?
There is never a charge for
participation in the group.
q
When
and where does the group meet?
The Parents’ Group meets at 7:30 PM on
the fourth Monday of every monthly (except in the month of December in which the
meeting is held on the third Monday) at Bayside Presbyterian Church on the
corner of Independence Boulevard and Ewell Road (near Bayside hospital).
Though we meet at the church, the group has no particular religious
affiliation and all persons are welcome. In
the event that a meeting date has to be changed (i.e. due to a holiday), members
will be notified well in advance of the date.
q
Will
what I say in the group be held in confidence?
In order to create a safe environment in
which parents feel free to share their private thoughts and feelings, group
members are asked to honor others’ privacy by not discussing others’
personal affairs outside the group.
q
What
qualifications does the group facilitator have to work with bereaved parents?
Jodi Moore holds a Masters Degree in
Counseling and both a Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Virginia
and a National Board Certified Counselor.
She is also a Board Certified Expert in Traumatic Stress, and Diplomate with the
American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. She
is a specialist in grief, trauma, and bereavement work. She has extensive training and experience in facilitating
groups and working with bereaved persons who have experienced traumatic loss
through homicide, suicide, accidental death, disease processes, and natural
causes. She works with
bereaved persons in individual and group therapy settings.
q
What
are my responsibilities as a participant in the group?
As a participant, you are asked to share what you feel comfortable in sharing from your own experience and to listen to others who need to tell their stories. Most importantly, we ask you to share of yourself so that you can help others, and in doing so, help yourself. You are also asked to help maintain the focus of the group so that valuable meeting time is not spent in discussion of peripheral issues, and that you demonstrate compassion to all that you meet.
For more information on The Parents' Group, contact Jodi Moore at jmoore@stillwaterscounseling.com or call (757) 404-3747