Does everyone benefit from attending a bereavement support group?
A. The simple answer is “no.” But we need to say more about who will and will not respond positively to a bereavement support group. Some have said, “A support group is not for me.” Yet when they tried the group, they were pleased with the experience. Some enter a group too soon after the death of their loved one and cannot continue in the group. For that reason, we ask participants to wait a minimum of three months before entering a group. In the program at Huntington Hospital, our groups run for eight consecutive weeks. We use the first three weeks to provide grief education. We ask participants to try the first three weeks before deciding to continue or drop out. The vast majority has found the experience beneficial, but some have not. Q. Why wait three months before entering a group? A. Grief permeates an individual, affecting them physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Physically and intellectually you know your loved one has died. Emotionally and spiritually you cann
