Healing the Grieving Heart Seminar is scheduled for 3-5 p.m., Sept. 13. The capacity to love requires the necessity to mourn when someone you love dies. This two-hour seminar is open to anyone who is experiencing grief in their lives. The program will contain practical ideas to help you mourn well, so you can go on to live well and love well. Among the content areas to be explored are: taking your grief into mourning; becoming aware of the six needs of mourning; understanding what your emotions are teaching you; allowing for re-telling of your story and caring for your physical self. 

Grief Group for Parents is scheduled from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sundays from Sept. 2 through Oct. 25. This grief support group is tailored to parents who have lost a child. When a child dies, parents are forever changed. The key to surviving such a loss is hope and knowing they are never alone, for if those who are suffering the relentless pain of losing a child see that others before them have gone on to rebuild their lives with new meaning, purpose, joy and happiness, they will then know that they, too, are capable of doing the same. This group is informative, educational and supportive as parents can learn from each other's grief journeys.

Grief Group for Spouses is scheduled from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays from Sept. 16 through Oct. 21. Whether your loss is recent or in the past, this group is open to all who have experienced the death of their spouse. For many people, finding a support group is a valuable tool for moving through the grieving process in a healthy, productive way. This education and support group will provide discussions on a variety of topics to include: how grief affects us psychologically and emotionally, grieving vs. mourning, secondary losses and common myths about grief and loss.

Testimonial from a participant in the Grief Group for Parents:

“I have been attending the Good Shepherd parents’ grief group for the last three and a half years following the death of my 17-year old daughter, Ally.  Although the composition of our group has changed over time, Catherine Miller has always facilitated our discussions and provided agendas, reading materials and a sense of structure to these discussions.  These meetings have been of enormous benefit to me through my journey and have helped me confront my grief head on.  Sharing emotions and feelings with other parents who, like me, are struggling with the tragedy of losing their children has been of tremendous benefit to me.  It has taught me that the emotions I feel are shared by others and has also given me the opportunity to discuss feelings I wouldn’t be able to discuss as openly and candidly with those who haven’t experienced the loss of a child.   I quickly discovered that no one was here to judge anyone; this was simply a group of caring, respectful and compassionate people sharing their stories.  Overall, I am truly grateful to the Good Shepherd community for providing this invaluable resource to the larger Dallas community.  On a personal level, this group has made a profound difference in my life and has helped me cope with a parent’s worst nightmare.  Catherine and her colleagues should be commended for the tremendous work they do and for their dedication and compassion.”

For more information about the groups or seminar contact Catherine Miller, Director of Pastoral Programs and Adult Ministry. 214-351-6468.