Grief Support Group Guidelines
Why You Need To Know This
Grief support groups are supposed to be a safe place for you to share your story, learn what’s normal for grief and to help you to heal forward—not land you in a pothole along the Path of Healing. The following grief support group guidelines are helpful because they highlight what a healthy functioning grief support group looks like. Each person receives a copy when they attend one of my grief support groups or workshops.
Nuts And Bolts
A grief support group is a discussion group with unique characteristics. It is not a therapy group, but neither is it a social gathering. It is a safe place where participants can share their story and know that they have been heard. Additionally, it has an informal component that allows for relationship building. To maintain integrity, it is necessary to establish and maintain guidelines for the conduct of members, both inside and outside of the group setting.
Grief Support Group Guidelines
- Please turn off your cell phone.
- There will be enough time for everyone to share their story. However, no one will be compelled to do so. If you do not want to share you don’t have to.
- Everything that is shared during the group session is confidential. Participants will not share the personal information or stories of other group members outside of the group setting. Additionally, participant stories and information are not to be posted on Facebook or shared on any other online venue. Failure to abide by this confidentially clause will result in removal from the group.
- Listening is a priority. We will all benefit if no one interrupts while another person is sharing.
- We will not judge, criticize or give advice to others in the group.
- We will not discount or minimize anyone’s thoughts or feelings.
- We will not speak for another person.
- Tears are welcome.
- Participants shall refrain from the use of language that may be offensive to others in the group.
Note:
You might feel worse, maybe even exhausted, after attending a session—especially after one of the first few sessions. Don’t use this as an excuse not to attend the next session. This sometimes happens because when we are learning more about what is normal for grief, listening to others share and sharing our own story—more layers of painful grief emotions surface and we need to address them for healing. This is what you are feeling. Awful as it can be. This is normal and part of the healing grieving and healing process. And we are going for healing!
The Book
We wrote this book for you so that you don’t have to figure out and learn things the hard way like we did. Learn more about what’s normal for grieving and healing.
