Grief & Loss Support Group Registration: Call Olivia Miller 267 713 3345 or Lancie Mazza, LCSW 267-428-2517 (PA & NJ & VA)
Grief and Loss Support Group: Death is a part of life, but that doesn’t make it easy. The Grief and Loss Support Group is a space to share our stories of loss, to offer support, hope and empathy, to make meaning out of tragedy, and to witness one another’s journeys. This group is open to all who are currently struggling with life after the death of a family member, friend, partner or child. Together, we will focus on meaning-making and post-traumatic growth.
Registration Fee $25
Fee $10 (free for existing TCFG clients)
Virtual Grief & Loss Support Group based out of Philadelphia PA, Ocean City NJ, and Mechanicsville VA
Individuals who have lost loved ones and who are suffering in their bereavement tend to feel alone in their grieving process. Our culture has a way of making people feel as if they should “get over it” or “move on.” Healing is often defined by cultural norms, and many times healing is viewed as getting back to how life was before your loss, but this can feel almost impossible and very frustrating to anyone experiencing grief. If life before loss involves having your loved one be physically present, then life after loss becomes a daily challenge to create a life that no longer allows a person to experience their loved one in the physical realm. Grief and loss becomes a process of how to love a person who is no longer present with you and how to carry the burden of their absence everyday after. This is an extremely hard journey to face, and one you don’t have to do alone if you join our grief and loss support group in Philadelphia PA, Ocean City NJ, and Mechanicsville VA.
Virtual Grief & Loss Support Group in Philadelphia PA, Ocean City NJ, and Mechanicsville VA Meets on Monday Evening’s at 8-9 PM
We now meet online due to COVID19, and to hopefully meet the needs of folks more widely who are seeking support for their grief and loss. This group is designed for individuals seeking community and support for grief around human loss, life after death of a family member, friend, partner, child, etc. This support group provides space for individuals to share stories of loss and limitations from their grief, and offer hope or empathy to others. This unique and informal group experience can encourage others to make meaning from their grief and loss, and possibly new relationships from their tragedy. The opportunity to bear witness to one another's grief and loss journey is no small thing.
More details on support group logistics and processes…
-Monday evenings @ 8-9 PM
-One-time Registration Fee: $25
*must schedule screening session with one of our clinicians
-Weekly Group Session Fee (outside clients of TCFG): $10
*Existing clients at The Center for Growth can attend group sessions for free!
-Contact Lancie Mazza, LCSW at 267-248-2517 or Olivia Miller, Intern Therapist at 267-713-3345 to inquire about signing up!
Who Would be a Good Fit for The Grief and Loss Support Group in Philadelphia PA, Ocean City NJ, and Mechanicsville VA? Why Should You Join Our Support Group?
Bereavement can look very different for folks, the loss of your loved one could be a…
partner/spouse
parent
child
sibling
friend
Our grief and loss support group has individuals with many different relationship dynamics they’re grieving. Anyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one, regardless of who your loved one was to you, individuals will often be left with a feeling of isolation in their grief. Grief and loss support through the group process can allow a grieving person to feel not only connected to others who are suffering, but provide a safe place to express pain without explanation or judgment. This support group challenges the everyday societal pressure placed on the bereaved to “just move on,” and instead encourages people to grow capacity for their grief. The group dynamic encourages growth in grief by receiving support from people who understand grief and loss firsthand. Our group practices resisting the urge to “fix” or “cure” your grief by offering solutions, and rather just provides a listening ear for understanding and support. Some rituals our grief and loss support group in Philadelphia PA, Ocean City NJ, and Mechanicsville VA practice are…
storytelling/sharing about your grief & loss
weekly check-in’s
asking others for what you need (just listen, give advice, etc.)
community resource sharing (podcasts, online platforms, books, etc.)
reading from recommended books on grief & loss
Grief is an experience that can often encourage us to turn “inwards” and retreat from everyday life. The pain from grief can make the world around us seem bleak, which in return makes our everyday functioning and/or socializing much more challenging than usual. If you are someone who is experiencing grief and loss, you’ve likely noticed how others surrounding you don’t always know the best way to support you. Because what can anyone really say or do to make grief bearable? Not much. To find others to bear witness to your grieving experience, to put language to your experience, and to SHARE your experience is unlike any other support you could receive while you're grieving. You also could benefit from having two professionals provide a safe place and facilitate containment for your grief and loss.
We find that many of our group members attend individual counseling simultaneously to the grief and loss support group, which has proven to be a comfortable level of support and well rounded treatment coordination for clients. We also have found that clients benefit from the informal structure we keep to group, since as you likely know by now, grief and loss can be a very ambiguous journey. This grief and loss support group aims to meet clients where they’re at on a week-to-week basis and leave space for extra support during weeks that could be feeling darker than others. Our grief and loss support group works hard to recognize how fluctuating the emotions during your grief journey can be. These are some of the ways our support group in Philadelphia PA, Ocean City NJ, and Mechanicsville VA differs from group therapy or psychoeducational groups on grief. We provide routine and rituals to a very ambiguous journey through grief, while simultaneously allowing for flexibility when needed for what comes up.
What Else Can You Expect From The Grief and Loss Support Group in Philadelphia PA, Ocean City NJ, and Mechanicsville VA?
You can expect a small, intimate gathering of folks online. We rarely exceed around 9-10 group members at a time, and we utilize Google Meets as the telehealth platform for video conferencing. You don’t need to bring anything but yourself, an open mind, a listening ear, and your story when you’re ready to share. We share the same expectations for each group member that joins, the expectations are listed below…
Group Member Expectations of The Grief and Loss Support Group in Philadelphia PA, Ocean City NJ, and Mechanicsville VA…
You will maintain the confidentiality of all group members, not revealing names or any specific demographic information about others to anyone who is not a client in this group
You will attend support group on weekly basis in order to get maximum benefit and to reserve your seat if the group gets too large due to being an open-enrollment group (if you can not attend group unexpectedly, all we ask that you contact one of the group facilitators with as much notice as possible)
You will respect the pace of others' grief & loss journey! It’s acceptable if others prefer to just listen or gain trust before disclosing their story or memories, but we ask that whether you are verbally participating or not that you refrain from other distractions such as phone calls, texting, etc.
You will attend group free of charge if seeing a therapist at least twice a month at The Center for Growth and you are always encouraged to discuss your own group experience with your individual therapist! If you are not at active client at The Center for Growth, you are responsible for $10 fee due at the end of each group session.
You will be responsible for $10 no show fee if you miss a session without notice, whether you are a client at The Center for Growth or not
You will be mindful of time and share airtime with others (barring any emergencies) so that others who need to talk will have time to do so and/or respond to your share
You will not give advice or feedback unless otherwise asked from group members sharing or facilitator prompting. You can expect intentional silence in our group when reflecting one someone’s share. Group interaction and discussion is always encouraged but we all agree to try our best to ask for what we need when sharing!
The grief and loss support group of Philadelphia PA, Ocean City NJ, and Mechanicsville VA does its best to follow these group expectations in efforts to create a safe, non judgemental, productive group cohesiveness. And we are always open to suggestions or feedback from group members on how to enhance their experience or meet unique needs! Like we said, we recognize how ambiguous and unique each individual's grief and loss journey can be, and we do our best to honor this.
We Hope to Hear From You Soon! Join our Grief and Loss Support Group Today! Available for folks in Philadelphia PA, Ocean City NJ, and Mechanicsville VA.
Although grief and loss is part of life, that doesn’t make it easy and it’s certainly not something you should go through alone or without professional support. Join our Grief and Loss Support Group to find support, empathy, and bear witness to another person's unique journey with grief and loss. Together, we will focus on meaning-making and post-traumatic growth.
