Grief
Grief & Loss
The Pathways Center for Grief & Loss is a free resource to the entire community, regardless of whether your loved one is or was a hospice patient. Our mission is to support and encourage the inherent ability to heal and discern new paths on one’s journey through grief. Professionally trained and masters-level Pathways Center counselors are committed to:
- Providing support to individuals of all ages
- Educating others about common grief responses
- Facilitating opportunities to interact with others who have had similar experiences
- Teaching effective coping skills
- Helping individuals realize the choices that they have on their grief journey
- Acting as a grief and bereavement resource to the community
To learn more visit http://www.hospiceandcommunitycare.org
The Highmark Caring Place is providing a grief support group for young adults. This six-week program for those grieving the death of a loved one is aimed at young adults between the ages of 18 and 30.
Group meetings will be held on Tuesday’s through June and July at the Highmark Caring Place facility in Lemoyne, PA.
About the program: The program addresses a gap in services for this age group, who often find it difficult to access support after a death. Although it can look untroubled and carefree, young adulthood can often be a very stressful time, as teens transition to their 20s, and as 20-somethings work to get established. The extra weight of grief added to an already challenging stage of life can make things doubly difficult.
For those relatively early in their careers, or between jobs, or students in college away from their families who aren’t able to attend typical support programs with the family, this young adult support group can provide significant help, even if the death occurred some years earlier.
Help to spread the word. If you are a young adult, or if you know someone in this age range who has experienced the death of someone they love, you are invited to learn more about this grief support group for young adults. Share the attachment as you see fit!
For more information contact Terri Bowling at 717-302-8401 or terri.bowling@highmark.com.
According to The Jed Foundation, while traditionally the feelings of grief are usually paired with the loss of a loved one, we can have feelings of grief when we have any type of loss. The stages or feelings of grief do not occur linearly, and there are many manifestations.
Acknowledging how you feel is one of the first steps to healing. Learn more about how the coronavirus has generated more feelings of loss and ways to navigate the grief.
We know that things are different now and will be different in the days to come. Teens and young adults may be experiencing grief associated with not only losing a loved one during this time but also:
- The loss of seeing their friends and loved ones
- Major changes in the way they expected the spring to go and missing out on spring events
- The loss of graduation and celebrations
- The loss of career opportunities
- The loss of what their day to day looked like and felt like
Even though the situation is open-ended, it is temporary. By recognizing and understanding the signs of grief in ourselves and each other, we can support one another. For more insight on the grief we may be feeling, how to manage it, and the meaning we can find in it, check out this interview with David Kessler, an expert on grief.
Kessler recommends several ways of managing grief:
- Find balance in the things you are thinking.
- Come into the present moment.
- Let go of what you can’t control.
- Exercise an abundance of compassion.
Here are more resources on supporting ourselves and each other through grief:
- The Child Mind Institute’s guide for helping children cope with trauma
- Article by the American Psychological Association on grief and COVID-19
If you are feeling loss and grief right now, you are not alone. Acknowledging how we feel can help us begin to accept change. Seeking support can start the healing process. Don’t forget the power of reaching out and connecting with someone you can talk to as well as mental health professionals who are able to help you through this.
WellSpan EAP is not associated with any non WellSpan Health entities or organizations listed on this page, and assumes no liability regarding information presented by these organizations.
