Specialized Grief and Loss Support Group Therapy

holistic grief support with spirituality

Specialized Grief and Loss Support Group

Coping with Grief and Loss

Veritas Villa, Inc. has a special Grief and Loss Support Group for uniformed individuals and people who have experienced trauma in their lives. These individuals meet three times per week in a small support group.

Grief occurs in response to the loss of someone, something, or when dealing with trauma. Grief can be sudden or expected; however, individuals are unique in how they experience grief. Grief is a natural response to loss. Some ways that people deal with grief are healthy, and then there are others which hinder the healing process. It is important to realize that acknowledging grief promotes the healing process. Time and support facilitate the grieving process, allowing opportunity to appropriately mourn one’s losses.

Common Reactions to Loss

grief support group therapy in the countrysideIndividuals experiencing grief from a loss or trauma may choose a variety of ways of expressing it. No two people respond to the same loss in the same way. Experiencing and accepting all feelings remain an important part of the healing process.

The Grief Process generally involves five stages:

1. Denial – Numbness is a normal reaction to an immediate loss and should not be confused with “lack of caring”.
2. Bargaining – At times, individuals can become preoccupied thinking about ways that things could have been better or thinking about how one could have prevented the loss.
3. Depression – After recognizing the true extent of the loss or trauma, some individuals may experience symptoms of depression.
4. Anger – This reaction usually occurs when an individual feels helpless and powerless.
5. Acceptance – Time allows the individual an opportunity to resolve the range of feelings that surface.

Veritas Villa staff believes there is no time limit to the grieving process. The staff facilitates the healing process through support group therapy and by encouraging clients to deal with the stages of grief while reinforcing the recovery process from addiction.

The grief and loss counseling is led by a therapist who has a good working knowledge and understanding of the problems confronting people who are dealing with one of life’s most difficult experiences.

In the Grief Support Group, clients are given an opportunity to share the feelings and issues they may be uncomfortable sharing in the larger client community.

Grief Support Group members are expected to attend all other Veritas Villa programming, but are offered this time to deal with their grief and with issues that may be unique to their experiences with trauma.

 

Featured Employee

Welcome to our website. I am Michele Panko, CASAC and have been working at Veritas Villa for 10 years. I began as an Intern on the Women’s Unit and stayed on to become a Counselor’s Aid until I began my counseling career with the Women’s Treatment Team. I find my work extremely fulfilling and rewarding helping women to start their lives over in recovery as I was helped 13 years ago when I began my own journey. I look forward to seeing you when you visit the Villa.