How to Understand Grief Seminars (HUGS)

Almost every person has experienced grief sometime in his or her life. In addition to the death of a loved one, other losses can be equally traumatic. Divorce, separations from family and friends, illness, disability, retirement, or abuse are other examples of grief provoking events that can be just as distressing and painful. Because emotional wellness is a key factor to healthy living, our original program, How to Understand Grief Seminars or HUGS, offers a basic, common sense approach to grief and mourning and provides the participants with a better understanding of their feelings and pain. The coping skills they learn become practical tools they need to reinvest in life and living once again.

Audience: Adults, adolescents, and teenagers

Objectives:

• Explore the many types of loss
• Define grief and its relationship to loss and stress
• Explain the many facets of loss and grief -- mental, emotional, physical & spiritual
• Identify specific reasons for personal reactions to loss and grief
• Compare and contrast men's and women's responses to grief
• Provide explain the unique grief of bereaved parents
• Explain children's responses to loss and grief
• Provide information for reinvesting in life after loss and trauma

(Information from this program will be included in ALL workshop presentations)