Grief Group

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    March 2023 to July 2023
    Grief Group Brochure

  • Next Support Group     Gathering

    The Mourners Bill of Rights
    July 16, 2023           12:00-2:00pm
    St. James Parish Hall

      Though you should reach out to others as you do the work of mourning, you should not feel obligated to accept the unhelpful responses you may receive from some poeple. You are the one who is grieving, and as such, you have certain "righths" no one shoould try to take away from you. The Bill of Rights is intended to empower you to heal and to decide how others can and cannot help. This is not to discourage you from reaching out to others for help, but rather to assist you in distinguishing useful responses from hurtful ones.
        Participants may attend in person or through a Zoom call from the comfort of home. To obtain the Zoom link contact Tom Bekkers, Facilitator.

     

  • Coming September 10
    "Social Media's Impact on the Way We Grieve"

       There will be a special presentation with guest speaker, Dr. Illene Cupit on Sunday, September 10 from noon until 2:00pm at St. James. Dr. Cupit is a retired professor of Human Development at UWGB.
        When a death occurs, mourners frequently are left alone in their grief because friends and family are uncomfortable around the griever and do not know how to offer support. This is especially the case for adolescents and young adults, many of whom are in college. Framed around the personal loss experienced by the speaker, Dr. Cupit discusses her research on social media and death, which illustrates how mourners find supportive connections online.

  • grief group

  •       An on-going Grief Support Group is offered for those who are mourning the loss of a loved one. If you or someone you know is grieving the death of someone close, please consider attending this group. They typically meet every-other month and dates and times are announced on this website, on Facebook, and in the bulletin. Since the pandemic began, a Zoom option has been offered in addition to gathering in person. This group is FREE to those who are grieving and their support people.
          Tom Bekkers, MSW, APSW, is the Facilitator, He is an Advanced Practice Social Worker with over 30 years of experience in professional counseling related to patients and family members faced with the challenges of health situations, lifestyle adjustment issues, death, and grief. Tom holds a master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
          Tom is the co-author of “The Widower’s Toolbox:  Repairing Your Life After Losing Your Spouse” which helps channel men’s grief into constructive tasks and provides tools to enable bereaved men to recreate lives that can be fulfilling once again.
          Tom and his wife Patty live in Denmark, and are members of St. James Parish. 

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