Grief Support- these are some things we found helpful on our journey into grief
This is a guide for friends and family of bereaved parents, namely us, in this case. We put it together in the very intense first couple of weeks. We realized pretty soon that most people don’t know what to say or do, so we decided we would have to let them know. If you are a parent or other person in grief, please feel free to use this as a base and personalize it for your needs. We used information from other sources.
What Would Grieving Parents Ask of the World?
Again, as in How Can I Help?, this is a list of ways to help someone in grief. It is from our perspective, so it is not perfect for everyone, but it at least provides a starting point for those in the very delicate position of helping someone in deep grief.
These are some books we’ve read so far. No book is going to solve the problem, but they do help a person to realize that he/she is not going crazy. Many of our feelings and pain have been validated by reading about the grief of other parents in our horrible situation.
“The Selah Carefarm just outside of Sedona, AZ is the first carefarm for the traumatically bereaved in the U.S.
It’s a very special place on 10 acres of beautiful farmland where bereaved family members can come to both give and receive connection, compassion, and understanding. All the animals on the carefarm have been rescued from abuse, neglect, and torture. Our grieving families know what it means to suffer, and so do these animals.” (from The Selah Carefarm website)
This is the first and only site focused on the special needs of those who unintentionally kill or seriously injure other people through accidents occurring on the roads, at work, in recreation, and so forth. Over 1 million Americans every year accidentally injure or kill another person — and many suffer acute and post-traumatic stress as a result — but few supportive resources exist for them. We hope this site will be helpful to the citizens of San Diego when these tragic accidents occur.
Expressing Feelings and Thoughts Of Loss
Use the sentences of this worksheet to write an expression of you loss. It can be done individually, in a family or group and shared.
Support Groups in San Diego:
The Compassionate Friends– Nationwide in the United States- over 600 local chapters
The Elizabeth Hospice Center for Compassionate Care
When we lost Jamie, we were so fortunate to find the Jenna Druck Foundation. The Jenna Druck Center is now located within the Elizabeth Hospice Center. Ken Druck, through Families Helping Families, and now through The Center for Compassionate Care, has provided invaluable services for the San Diego community since the tragic loss of his own daughter in 1996.
Thank you for posting these helpful resources.
My pleasure, Aline! Glad they are helpful!
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