Caroline Kunshek reporter
Navigating grief can be a very difficult and isolating experience for anyone. Whether caused by the death of a loved one, the end of a strong relationship, or the anticipation of loss, having support within a community can be essential to working through those feelings.
With a mission of helping people combat these feelings of isolation, hospice social worker and therapy student, Clayton Cook, will be leading a free monthly grief support group. This group, entitled “Finding Meaning After Loss,” will take place on the second Tuesday of every month from 6-7 p.m. at the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHCSEK).
“Through sitting in on therapy sessions and my work as a hospice social worker, I’ve just seen that there’s so much unresolved grief and loss in our community,” Cook said. “I think having a designated place and time and area with like-minded people who are going through similar situations can really be a boost for people. It can let them know that they’re not alone in their feelings, and it can give them some tools to work through it together.”
Cook plans to utilize various methods to facilitate healing and discussion among members. One approach will be to emphasize finding meaning and discovering a new self-identity after losing something so profound.
Another method that will be used is cognitive behavioral therapy, which Cook describes as “thinking about identifying the thoughts that they’re having around loss, how that is affecting their emotions, and how that correlates into the actions and the behaviors that they’re doing.”
This group is not only applicable to those struggling with the death of a loved one. An important form of grief to consider is anticipatory grief, which can often come alongside the news of declining health or terminal illness.
“We see a lot of anticipatory griefs—people who are stressing about what’s to come and mourning the losses as they come kind of gradually,” Cook said. “There’s so much more to loss and grief than just death.”
People experiencing any form of grief are welcome to join this group, whether the grief is induced by a loved one’s passing, the anticipation of loss, the ending of a strong relationship, or even the loss of a pet.
“I’ve had people talk about no longer having a relationship with their parents and similar big impacts on their life that leaves them feeling that loss. Our support group is open to all of those people, all those experiences of loss, no matter what is causing them,” said Cook.
Cook plans to facilitate this group until he graduates from his master’s program in May. Long-term, he hopes that the Community Health Center will continue to provide this service after he has finished laying the foundation.
“Grief can be a very isolating experience, so for those people who are more hesitant, I would say that joining the group really helps you feel less alone in your life and in your loss. It’s a great first step.”
For more information, contact Clayton Cook at Ccook@CHCSEK.org.
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