Has anyone ever attended a bereavement support group?

[iamali]

Did you find it helpful?

How long did you attend?

I know this is a sensitive topic, but I'd appreciate your experiences.

[orangeblossom]

I did counseling, and one of my sister's did a bereavement group. She thought the group was really helpful.

If you're up to it, I'd check it out at least.

Hugs to you.

[Marle]

I didn't really. However, I got involved in lung cancer advocacy; and that has given me the chance to socialize with other people that have lost a loved one and in similar circumstances . I started doing this around a year after my mom passed and it's helped me tons!

I hope you can find a way that works for you.

[ax2]

My best friend has been seeing a grief counsellor since her father and uncle passed and she says it's been invaluable. It's offered through our local hospice at no charge.

[orangeglow]

I did a support group as well as bereavement individual counseling (the one I went to used dogs in therapy).  I was a teenager at the time.  While in college I was a support counselor for children that had lost people close to them (because I had been through it) in group settings.  It can be very cathartic if you get the right group.  Sometimes it takes time to find that though.  

[flex]

I went to an individual bereavement counselor. I'm glad I did. Very helpful.

[bronxgirl]

I haven't, but my friend attended one for a long time and found it quite helpful. her daughter attended a child one at the same time.

[Deleted]

My mom did for several years after my Dad suddenly passed. It was good for her to talk to others going through the same thing.

[JayhawkGirl]

MIL resisted going to one despite her doctor's regular urging and her friends' gentle and direct suggestions. She did finally decide to go and I noticed an almost immediate difference in her. I'm so glad she has decided to seek out support from others who have been on this journey and can relate and comfort in ways DH, I and her friends can't.

Significant difference for her and I'm so grateful for it.

[wambam]

As a child, I did. 10yo wambam found it deeply uncomfortable. I preferred to discuss my biological mother's death one-on-one.

HOWEVER, my dad took me there because there was a widow(er)'s group that met at the same time and my group was basically childcare. He found it immensely helpful and was very grateful he had that group in the first couple of month's after his wife's death.

[auntie]

I took my mother to a Compassionate Friends group locally after my sister died.

I'm sure these groups are all a little different based on who is leading them, but we stumbled into a bunch of folks who believed the dead are still among us and sending us signs. Seductive, perhaps, but not useful for a pragmatist like my mom.

We got my nieces some 1:1 counseling and they attended a small bereavement group led by a PhD for a time. Being with other kids who'd lost a parent was useful for them.

[mcc]

I had one-on-one bereavement sessions with my rabbi when I lost my grandfather at 16. I had known my rabbi growing up and trusted him more than a stranger so even though we weren't religious, it was helpful and comforting to me because he helped me from a non-religious perspective. I learned a lot about coping with loss and am very glad i went.

[lahoagie]

My husband did after his brother died. He found it really helpful. He also saw a counselor but found the group to be more helpful. I think he enjoyed being able to share stories about his brother. Unfortunately the group doesn't meet any longer. I am sure if they were still around he would still be going a couple times a year.

[texasharleygirl]

I attended two different ones after I lost my husband. The first one I started at I believe was too much for me. They were giving me advice and telling me to do this and do that and it was all overwhelming and spiked my anxiety levels up so I never went back. It just wasnt a good fit. I found the second one at a Church I started attending. Granted I was the youngest by about 25 yrs, it was the best group that I attended. The people were very helpful and supportive of me and really helped me move forward. I am so very grateful for that group and those people. They gave me so much to use and understand that when my own dad passed last year, I was able to help out my mom.