Support Groups Offer Comfort and Guidance

by Marla Cole, licensed professional counselor and support group leader for INTEGRIS Hospice

My name is Marla Cole. I'm a licensed professional counselor offering grief support groups for INTEGRIS Hospice.

One of the things that is so important to me as a professional therapist is the beauty of support groups and how wonderful and how helpful they can be.

Part of the reason I believe support groups can be so effective is that there may not be other places where you can go, say the things you need to say and be understood by people.

People who attend a grief support group are usually there because their hearts are broken and they are surrounded by other people who are on the same journey. Their paths may be different, their expressions may be different, but they are all there looking for the same kind of support to help them help themselves heal as they journey through grief.

A support group can offer you a closed setting - INTEGRIS offers six-week support groups - and you get to know the people that you're in this group with.

There are powerful tools that are offered that you can take home and use yourself to help yourself through this process of grief.

Many other support groups are available, whether it's weight loss, survivors of suicide, blending step families; there are lots of wonderful groups and they each have a wonderful unique purpose.

If there's not a grief support group near you in the metro area, check your local hospital, check any cancer centers that may be available or your local churches. But look into a support group; you may be surprised at how helpful you'll find it to be.