Find comfort for the season with Surviving the Holidays
Support & practical tips for facing holiday challenges after loss
Facing this season while grieving can sometimes feel like taking one step forward and two steps back. But like a trusted guide, a 2-hour Surviving the Holidays event will prepare you to navigate the season’s changes.
Grief is harder around the holidays... Find strength with those who understand
More than just practical tips, GriefShare Surviving the Holidays is a community of people who know what it’s like to walk through the holidays in grief. You will find connection and comfort in knowing you’re not alone this season. People who have attended repeatedly share how helpful this is.
“Surviving the Holidays gave me insight into what to expect and strength to go on.”
Surviving the Holidays
What is GriefShare?
A support group to help you move through the grief process
A support group is a safe, welcoming place where people understand the difficult emotions of grief. Through this 13-week group, you’ll discover what to expect in the days ahead and what’s “normal” in grief. Since there are no neat, orderly stages of grief, you’ll learn helpful ways of coping with grief, in all its unpredictability—and gain solid support each step of the way.
"GriefShare helped me to know I am not alone."
How GriefShare helps you
Navigating loss and grief through a support group
Videos That Encourage
Each weekly GriefShare group begins with a 30-minute video featuring respected experts on grief-related topics and helpful stories from people who have experienced loss. Their insights will help you manage your emotions, gain clarity, and find answers to your questions as you walk through the grief process.
Supportive Discussions
After the video, you and the other group members will spend time discussing what was presented in the video and what is going on in your lives. Talking with other people who understand what you’re experiencing brings great comfort, normalizes the grief experience, and offers a supportive environment to work through your grief.
Helpful book to guide you
Your participant guide serves as a road map on your grief journey. This book helps you process your emotions and experiences and cope with the loss. You’ll apply what you’ve heard in the group and gain tools to deal with complicated grief.
What's Topics Are Covered?
While everyone’s response to loss is unique, people facing loss and grief will experience many of the same challenges. The weekly GriefShare topics address these common struggles—providing valuable tips, encouragement, and direction.
Loneliness
Find your way through the overwhelming loneliness of grief.
Fear
Guidance to manage worry and anxiety in the face of crippling fears.
Anger
Learn healthy strategies to deal with your anger.
Regrets
“If onlys” are common in grief. Discover how to move beyond them.
Relationships
Tips on responding to well-meaning, but insensitive, comforters.
Hope
Move forward by remembering and honoring your loved one.
"GriefShare is a safe place to talk about hard things—and heal from them."
Common Questions
Each week you’ll view a 30-minute video on a grief-related topic, featuring valuable insights from counselors, pastors, and others who’ve lost a loved one. Then your group will discuss the video and how it applies to your lives. You’ll also receive a book with helpful tips and exercises for personal support throughout the week.
While other grief support sites may offer phone or video consultations with a professional, we have found a group support setting to be crucial for healing. One-on-one counsel is certainly helpful, but a more complete healing is found in the context of having people walk alongside you on the grief journey.
For most groups the cost is $25 to cover the cost of the participant guide and 13 week group. However, scholarships are available as we do not want finances to keep anyone in need from participating.
GriefShare is for everyone who is grieving the death of a loved one—whether you’ve experienced the loss of a spouse, parent, child (infant, young child, teen, adult, unborn), friend, sibling, coworker, or other relative.
That’s perfectly fine! No one is required to talk or share. People usually find that it helps to express their concerns, ask questions, and share their stories, but you are welcome to come and simply listen to others’ experiences and the expert advice from the videos.
Even though GriefShare is based on Christian principles, people from all faiths and even those who are not religious have found hope and healing by attending. The practical advice from counselors, pastors, and healthcare professionals applies to anyone.
Each week you’ll view a 30-minute video on a grief-related topic, featuring valuable insights from counselors, pastors, and others who’ve lost a loved one. Then your group will discuss the video and how it applies to your lives. You’ll also receive a book with helpful tips and exercises for personal support throughout the week.
Your feelings are understandable, but those feelings go away quickly for most people, usually during the first session they attend. People at GriefShare are there because they, too, are looking for help and support in a caring, safe place.
GriefShare facilitators understand what it’s like to grieve. They want to help you take healthy steps in the right direction and avoid pitfalls. They have a heart to come alongside hurting people and will foster a supportive environment during your time together.
While other grief support sites may offer a phone or video consultation with a professional, we have found a group support setting to be crucial for healing. One-on-one counsel is certainly helpful, but a more complete healing is found in the context of having people walk alongside you on the grief journey.
GriefShare groups last 13 weeks, and you can begin attending at any time. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend the full 13-week group more than once. People have said they find new tips and guidance each time, as they are dealing with new seasons of grieving.
How GriefShare Has Helped Others...
GriefShare taught me how to handle my emotions and heal from them.
Thaddeus
GriefShare helps you understand that each person heals in their own way and time—and that’s okay.
Donna
I never really healed down deep until I came to GriefShare.
Susan