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St. Anthony's to hold Adult Grief Support program
St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital knows that suffering from grief can be as devastating, if not more than, suffering from an illness. St. Anthony’s takes a holistic approach to healing, which means that we focus on healing not only the body, but the mind and spirit as well. That’s why St. Anthony’s offers the “Healing the Grieving Heart” program for adults trying to cope with the loss of a loved one.
The Healing the Grieving Heart program is a seven-week program which meets one night a week. During the program, attendees focus on goals that help them understand their grief so they can begin to reconstruct their lives. The program is led by Certified Grief Facilitator Ann Platt.
Platt explains how the program works. “We don’t overcome our grief – we never ‘just get over it.’ But we can get through it, with time and understanding,” she said. “The Healing the Grieving Heart group is a safe place to share our stories. The grief journey is a very difficult journey. We have to learn about the grieving process in order to get through it.”
While the program educates people on the grief process, one of the most important aspects of the group is being with others who have also recently experienced loss. “Many people who start the session say things like, ‘I feel like I am going crazy,’” Platt explained. “But then they learn when they listen to other members in the group that they aren’t the only ones feeling that way. They aren’t alone in their grief journey.”
Brenda B. attended Healing the Grieving Heart in January 2007, after the loss of her husband of 30 years in November 2006. She explained how the group helped her grieve and move on with her life. “At the time, I was so lost and broken-hearted. The group was actually exactly what I needed at that time. I did not realize at the time how good it was for me to be with other people feeling like I did,” she said.
Attending the Healing the Grieving Heart group soon after the loss of her husband in July 2009, Judy B.’s grief was very new. She was so appreciative of how Platt helped her through her loss. “Ann helped me greatly to deal with the aloneness that is very hard to overcome. Although I still miss David so much, I am facing the daily issues with a heart not quite as heavy as it could have been if not for the group,” she shared.
Sally Gaca was dealing with a number of losses when she attended Healing the Grieving Heart in March 2007. She had lost her sister in March 2004, followed by the loss of her mother in January 2007. Her husband was returning home from her mother’s memorial service and was killed in an automobile accident. Her father then passed away in April 2007 just as Gaca was completing the Healing the Grieving Heart sessions.
Gaca cannot say enough good things about the Healing the Grieving Heart program and how Platt helped her. “I do not think it is an exaggeration to say that Ann saved me. I was so completely devastated by my losses that I had a difficult time functioning in normal day-to-day activities. I thought I was going insane,” she shared.
Gaca explained how the program helped her through the grief process. “The program helped me understand that what I was feeling was to be expected. I was both devastated and exceedingly angry. The program allows people to express their grief in a safe, secure environment,” she said. “Through it all, I think this is what a person needs in order to begin to heal and take the first tentative steps towards the future,” Gaca said.
The next seven-week session of Healing the Grieving Heart begins on September 13 and concludes on October 25, held on consecutive Mondays at 6:30 p.m. in the St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital Auditorium. To find out more about this program or to pre-register, contact the Community Relations department at 217-347-1529 or visit the hospital’s web site at www.stanthonyshospital.org.
Healing the Grieving Heart Flyer