The group will begin and end on time, though participants may feel free to come late and leave early. Give yourself a chance. If the first meeting doesn’t seem to help, please come back a few more times before deciding whether it is right for you.
The purpose of the group is to share experiences about the death of a loved one and your grief. Know that you are not alone. It can be so powerful to connect with other grievers and such a relief to be able to talk openly about suicide with people who understand.
Observe strict confidentiality. This is a safe and welcoming place. Trust comes from knowing that group members honor confidences as well as the ethics of privacy and discretion.
Share only as is comfortable for you. No one is forced to talk. Speak your truth in ways that respect other people’s truths. Our views of reality may differ; we therefore do not interpret, debate, or correct what others say.
Sharing also means sharing the time. We will give everyone an opportunity to speak before we speak again. We will agree to use language that is respectful of everyone.
Trust and learn from the silence. Treat silence as a member of the group. After someone has spoken, give time for reflecting or for gathering their thoughts without immediately filling the space with words.
Your story is true and unique and not o pen to comparison. We do not fix, we do not save, we do not advise. This may be hard for those of us who are helpers, but it is a vital rule if we wish to make a space that welcomes the soul, the inner teacher. We respond with open, honest questions instead of counsel or corrections.
Thoughts and feelings are neither right nor wrong; they just are. Your spirituality and belief system are yours and to be honored.
The time required for healing cannot be neatly measured against any calendar. Piece by piece, you begin to re-enter the world.
