The Grief Recovery Program, is led by experienced facilitators. It provides six sessions twice each year to those who are past the first stage of their grief.
The May session is soon to begin see poster below.
Click above to see article.
GRIEF RECOVERY PROGRAM BACKGROUND:
The Grief Recovery Program was started when United Church and Anglican Church members became aware of a growing need for help in the community for people suffering grieving losses. Barry Cook from the United Church and Bryan Bjerring of the Anglican Church convened a meeting for the community to test the waters. Following this meeting, a joint venture was launched, with the idea that the Grief Recovery Program would be offered 6 week sessions from time to time for those undergoing severe losses. Three introductory sessions were offered in the spring of ‘97; one each for men, women, and children experiencing grief.
Volunteer facilitators, many of them drawn from individuals who themselves had experienced a grievous loss and/or those interested in hospice work, were trained by Mary Ellen deGrace. She is a social worker, educator, founder & facilitator of several grief recovery and bereavement programs in Lower Mainland hospitals. New volunteers are trained by experienced and long term facilitators. Many have also been hospice volunteers and members.
Since 2010, the Grief Recovery Program has been under the umbrella of Salt Spring Hospice, a happy and successful merging.
Since the start of GRP in ‘98, two 6-week courses have been offered each year. Numbers vary from a maximum of 10 to a minimum of 4 participants per group. Approximately 140 people have participated over this time.
