Whether the person who died was your parent, spouse, child, or friend, one thing is the same: someone you love is no longer near you. Your loved one can no longer play the same role in your life, and you can no longer play the role you played for your loved one. It’s going to be hard to get used to. How will you manage?
The truth is no one can answer this for you. Your grief is every bit as unique as your loved one, and you must find your own way through it. But you can find help by learning from the experiences of other people who have grieved and from accepting help from Intermountain’s bereavement services.
CARING CONNECTIONSCaring Connections: A Hope and Comfort in Grief Program is based in the University of Utah College of Nursing and was founded in 1997 by Beth Cole, PhD.
The Mission of Caring Connections is to provide excellent evidence-based bereavement care to grieving persons in the intermountain west through clinician facilitated support groups; and, in keeping with the academic mission of the University and the College of Nursing, to provide opportunity for clinical education in grief and loss to students in the health care professions, and to conduct research which promotes greater understanding of loss, grief and bereavement.
As a leading community resource for grief and bereavement support, Caring Connections provides grief care, education for clinicians and students and contributes to the scientific evidence to support best practices. In partnership with the State of Utah Department of Human Services, and with several community organizations, we are working to increase awareness of grief, grief literacy and create compassionate communities that are responsive to the loss and suffering that accompanies bereavement.
The Sharing Place
The comfortable home-like setting coupled with experienced group coordinators and volunteers at The Sharing Place provide children with a safe and caring environment that nurtures the healing process.
Grief support groups meet twice a month for 90 minutes per session. Groups are organized by ages and circumstances, which are identified during the initial family consultation. We currently host grief support groups at three locations: The Sharing Place, Sharing Place West in Taylorsville, and Mount Jordan Middle School. These three locations serve more than 500 children, teens and their parents each year. The Sharing Place operates at capacity, and therefore we may have to place your family on a waiting list.
»LOSS – Loved Ones Suicide Surviors.
Mission Statement: Offer a caring community to those who have lost someone they love to suicide, a safe place to be with others who understand. In the most painful of journeys to provide a time and space to rest the burden of grief and share it with those who need no explanation. To create a place to reflect on those who have been lost to suicide and honor them so their lives will never be defined by their deaths. To encourage survivors to gather, to remember and to speak aloud the precious names of loved ones, to stand together to express our emotions and begin a journey of healing.
» Navigating Grief: A Guidebook for Grief Awareness & Understanding.
Highlights of this guide include:
- Resources to help those coping with grief
- Comprehensive look at the various types, stages, and symptoms of grief
- Expert input from licensed psychotherapist, Heather Bass
We can't stop bad things from happening, but we can spread awareness and share resources so that those who are dealing with trauma or other emotional hardships no longer have to deal with it on their own.
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Center for Loss
A leading provider of information and inspiration in the areas of illness and dying, loss and grief, healthy caregiving, life transition, and spirituality.
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National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization Committed to improving end of life care and expanding access to hospice care with the goal of profoundly enhancing quality of life for people dying in America and their loved ones.
