The loss of someone you love can be a stressful and emotional experience. While it is an individual journey, navigating the grief process can be incredibly challenging. During such a difficult time, the support and understanding of others can make a world of difference. Recognizing the importance of grief support, Partners In Care offers a range of compassionate services to help adults, children, and families in our communities during this important healing process.
Compassionate Care for Adults, Children, and Families
At Partners In Care, we understand that grief is a deeply personal and unique experience for everyone. Losing a loved one can be overwhelming, and sometimes just the news of a terminal illness can lead to family members experiencing grief even before death has occurred. A person in hospice care who is dying may even feel grief for leaving people behind or having unfinished goals in life. During all these times, our team of specially trained grief counselors are available to provide personalized, compassionate grief counseling, acknowledging the unique challenges each group faces. In a safe space, grieving family members can openly express their emotions, share their experiences, and find solace with empathetic counselors who can help guide them through the grieving process.
Carla Purusa, Bereavement Coordinator at Partners In Care, said “When I first connect with a grieving person after the death of their loved one, they are usually in so much emotional pain that they seem to believe they are going to have to feel this way forever, and the thought of that is just unbearable for them. As we begin to talk and I ask them to tell me about their spouse, their child, their parent, their friend, they begin to brighten up as they remember and share great memories and experiences. They may begin to tell their story with tears but as they share, they will smile and laugh and their eyes light up. I believe that they begin to see that there is still more here than the pain and sorrow.”
Grief Classes and Bereavement Support Groups
Sharing the burden of grief with others who are experiencing the same roller coaster of emotions can often foster healing, hope, and connection. Partners In Care offers opportunities and a supportive environment through classes and support groups at no cost, and open to anyone in the community. Purusa leads each of these peer support groups, and she has witnessed many transformative experiences over the years.
“When we begin the eight-week support groups, many are unable to even speak about their loss without crying and having to stop, but by the fifth or sixth session of the group they are again smiling and sharing with other group members and even connecting outside of the group to have conversations over coffee,” she said. “The process is miraculous! It is my privilege to witness and share this journey of healing and renewal with them.”
Partners In Care offers three different grief support groups and classes, four times a year, with grief related topics depending on what best fits your needs: Mindfulness and Grief, Spousal Loss, and general Grief and Loss. Each of these support groups require registration, but are free and open to the public, not just people who have had family members or friends on services with Partners In Care.
Grief can feel so isolating, and it was profoundly helpful to be in community with others who were going through the same thing. I truly owe so much of my emotional well-being today to the grief support I received from Partners In Care.
Terri kelly
Grief Support for Youth
We also recognize that children and young adults experience grief and loss and need specialized mental health care. To support this need, we partner with a local children’s grief counselor from the nonprofit Clear Mourning to host an annual three-day summer art camp called Camp Courage. This free program provides a safe place and healing environment where grieving youth can express their feelings of loss and share personal experiences through creative outlets. The next camp will be held in the Summer of 2024, welcoming children from Central Oregon with the opportunity to connect with peers who have experienced similar losses.
We walk alongside you.
At Partners In Care, we understand the profound impact of grief on individuals and families. Through our specially-trained professional grief counselors and a wide choice of bereavement support services, we offer solace, connection, and healing through life’s most challenging times – at no cost to the entire community. By providing compassionate care and fostering a sense of belonging, we are committed to ensuring that no one walks the path of their grief journey alone.
“Three years ago, my husband was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. He passed away in just five months. I was completely shattered and utterly unprepared for the heartbreak and grief that followed,” said Terri Kelly, volunteer services associate at Partners In Care. “Through Partners In Care, I was offered weekly one-on-one counseling with Grief Counselor Carla Purusa. I also attended her spousal loss and mindfulness grief groups. This ongoing support quite literally saved my life. I learned how to allow my grief as a very natural part of the process of losing someone you love; and how to slowly take steps to build a new life without my husband. Grief can feel so isolating, and it was profoundly helpful to be in community with others who were going through the same thing. I truly owe so much of my emotional well-being today to the grief support I received from Partners In Care.”
How can I learn more about grief support services at Partners In Care?
Learn more about our Grief Support programs and services, as well as hospice care, home health care, and palliative care services. The bereavement team at Partners In Care is also available to provide resources, education, and answer questions.