State of the Heart Hospice will begin a series of Growing Through Grief Support sessions at the agency’s Greenville office, 1350 N. Broadway on Monday, January 6. The sessions will be held each Monday through February 10 from 2 to 4 p.m. The sessions are free and one need not have any association with hospice care.
Bereavement support is a service provided by State of the Heart. The nonprofit agency cares for families and patients in eastern Indiana and western Ohio who are confronting a life limiting illness. Grief support sessions are conducted at various times throughout the year at the agency’s offices in Greenville, Coldwater and Portland.
“At times we have people who might initially be reluctant to attend the sessions,” said Marlene Black, State of the Heart Bereavement Specialist. “However, after attending the support meetings, the response is overwhelmingly positive,” she added. “We find that people realize that they are not alone in their grief; that others are experiencing what they are.” Black, along with State of the Heart Hospice Social Worker Erin Meyer, will facilitate the sessions.
One of the most important things that those attending learn, she said, “is that what they are experiencing is normal and is part of their healing process.”
Black encourages anyone who is experiencing grief and loss to attend the meetings. “They can choose to talk about their grief, or they can listen to others. Inevitably, people tend to open up once they find out they are not the only ones feeling as they do.”
To register for the Growing Through Grief sessions or to get more information, please call 1-800-417-7535 to speak with one of the State of the Heart bereavement team members. To learn more about the services provided by State of the Heart, visit the agency web site at www.stateoftheheartcare.org
