Managing Grief: Bereavement Groups

Agnes, who facilitates peer bereavement groups on Long Island, explains how an eight-week group works, who can join and why grieving with people in a similar loss helps. She and Ryan discuss why there is no snapping out of grief, how faith, gender and the type of loss shape it, and how to handle anger, silence and tears in a safe group.

Takeaways

• Grief is personal and has no timetable, so no one should be told to snap out of it or move on.
• A peer bereavement group gives a safe space with others who understand, and it is worth attending for several weeks before deciding if it helps.
• Groups often work best when separated by type of loss, such as a spouse, a parent or a child, so members can speak freely.

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome, daylight saving and the dark season
• 2:17 What a bereavement group is and does
• 4:22 Why people resist groups and a story of being told to snap out of it
• 7:58 No moving on: finding a new normal
• 11:44 Why peers understand best
• 14:21 How the eight-week program and joining work
• 16:24 Faith, denomination and where loved ones go
• 19:35 Grouping people by type of loss
• 22:09 Goals of the group and handling unresolved feelings
• 26:55 Managing different personalities in the room
• 38:25 Anger, men and grief
• 43:06 How to stay, how to reach Agnes, and sign-off

Conversation and opinion, not medical, legal, tax or financial advice.