Grief Support Services

"What is the etiquette of mourning? There isn't one. After all the attempts to comfort, the suggestions shared out of love and helplessness, each mourner says his own good-byes, feels his own feelings, and moves uneasily and unevenly toward healing. In the end, each struggling spirit, alone in the company of a few dear friends, somehow finds a way."

--excerpt from Safe Passage

Hospice of Kitsap County offers a comprehensive program of grief support services for our community.  Most of our bereavement program is provided in support group settings.  We assist anyone in Kitsap County who is grieving the loss of a loved one, regardless of their affiliation with a hospice patient. We also support the family and friends of terminally ill hospice patients in coming to terms with their grief, and working through this process in their own individual ways. The following is a list of Hospice of Kitsap County's grief support services available to anyone in the community, as well as educational materials that may help you through the process. For more information about grief and loss support, please contact Dee Caplan MSW, Director of Counseling & Bereavement Services, at (360) 698-4611.

 

Hospice of Kitsap County's On-Going Support Group

This group follows a traditional drop-in format.  Participants receive support in a confidential peer-group setting. Meetings are held every 2nd and 4th Wednesday at 1:30pm, St. Olaf's Church in the Education Building, located at 18943 Caldart Street in Poulsbo.

Facing Loss: a 9-Week Grief Support Group

Hospice of Kitsap County presents Facing Loss: a 9-Week Grief Support Group. This group is designed to provide education and support for adults grieving the death of a loved one.

Participants meet with others who have experienced a similar loss and benefit from exploring ways of coping with life's changes. The group will focus on the general task of grieving, consider ways of providing self-care, and create an environment for mutual learning as group members share their experiences of loss.

Together, participants learn that change, though difficult, is possible and that grieving occurs in different ways for each individual. The sessions are informal, supportive and informative.

Each session builds on materials from the previous sessions, so attendance to all nine is encouraged. This program is FREE, but donations to Hospice of Kitsap County are gratefully accepted.

Facing Loss:  Grief Group Schedule (all groups meet from 5:30pm to 7:00pm)

Tuesdays - May 5, 2009 - June 30, 2009
Poulsbo - Death of a loved one - 700 NE Lincoln Road

Thursdays - September 10, 2009 - November 12, 2009
Port Orchard - Death of a loved one - Stafford Suites, 1761 Pottery Avenue, Port Orchard

All Poulsbo groups meet at the Kitsap County Library Poulsbo Branch.
All Silverdale groups meet at the Hospice office, 3100 Bucklin Hill Road, Suite 205.

6-Week Kids Grief Group

Wednesdays, April 8 - May 13, 2009 5pm to 630pm

Hospice of Kitsap County hosts a special 6-week group for kids ages 4-12 who have lost someone they love. 

Kids learn to express their feelings in a nurturing environment through art, puppets, peer support, and story sharing.  These counselor led activities are designed to help kids cope with the death of their loved one.  A support group for parents and guardians is held simultaneously.  This group meets at Country Meadows Retirement Center (Redbarn Clubhouse - lower level), located at 12169 Country Meadows Lane, Silverdale.

In-School Bereavement Program

This is a collaborative effort between Hospice and all five Kitsap County school districts to provide grief and loss counseling to students who are suffering from the loss of a loved one. Today there are a growing number of kids dealing with grief issues, especially as a result of violent deaths and suicides (particularly suicides by their peers).

When kids face the death of someone close to them, often they are relatively unsupported as they cope with the crisis. For most, their surviving parent or guardian is grieving the same loss, therefore leaving little or no effective adult support within their lives. Furthermore, it is difficult for an adult to truly judge how difficult the death of a loved one is for children. Adults generally suffer "a loss", but with children the loss leads to a whole domino effect. Families change, there are moves and remarriages, there are new roles within the family system for the child, and yet children are expected to maintain normalcy at school, achieve good grades and "get over it". School counselors, their most accessible source of guidance, have neither the time nor the specialized training for bereavement work.

It is vital that these students be empowered with the necessary skills to deal with their grief issues. Too often students are left to cope with loss individually. The inability to resolve their bereavement issues will lead some kids to excessive withdrawal, running away, alcohol, drugs, violence, suicide, or other destructive forces.  All will suffer to some degree from a sense of isolation, “differentness,” and confusion.

Therefore, the goals of the In-School Grief Group is to reduce the student's sense of isolation, to provide healthful alternatives for expressions of grief, to help them increase communication about their grief within their own circle of support, and to provide assurance that they can eventually reach a place of resolution and adjustment to loss.

In the words of one girl – whose mother was murdered weeks before she started the group – the program helped her begin to “release my feelings and accept the way things are.”

These classes meet at schools around Kitsap County and are available by request.  Call Hospice at  (360) 698-4611 for further information or to make a request for your school.

Kids Grief Retreat

Helping Kids Heal  

Childhood should be a time filled with laughter, discovery and love. But when children experience the death of a loved one, their lives can be filled with challenges that make enjoyment, happiness, and understanding difficult to achieve. In response to these challenges, Hospice of Kitsap County has developed the Kids Grief Retreat, a special day for grieving children.

The retreat is free for kids ages 4 to 12 who have experienced the death of a loved one and includes a simultaneous support group for parents and guardians. The day offers a special combination of fun activities and supportive discussions to help build trust, self-esteem and coping skills. All of the activities are led by Hospice of Kitsap County bereavement counselors and trained volunteers, and are designed to impart three core messages to the children.

First, grieving children learn that they are not alone. Being a grieving child is a lonely experience. Often he or she is the only one in class who has lost a mom or dad, a brother or sister. At a time in a child's life when it is very important to feel that they fit in, grief can make a child feel different or isolated. The retreat provides an opportunity for them to meet peers who have had similar feelings and experiences.

Next, grieving children learn that their feelings are perfectly normal. The feelings that accompany grief can be intense and overwhelming. Sometimes people even worry that they are "going crazy" with grief. The retreat shows children that what they are experiencing, although painful, is normal.

Lastly, grieving children have an opportunity to address their feelings and memorialize their loved ones. Through a variety of means, including ritual, arts and crafts, and physical activities, children have the opportunity to "get their feelings out" while honoring and remembering the person they held dear.

The Kids Grief Retreat is free and lunch is included, but registration is required.  The next retreat is June 20, 2009 from 10:00am to 3:00pm at Silverwood Elementary School in Silverdale, WA.  For additional information or to register, please call (360) 698-4611.

Grief in the Workplace

Specialized programs led by Hospice counselors customized to meet the needs of groups and businesses who's members are experiencing grief and loss are available upon request by calling the Hospice of Kitsap County office at (360) 698-4611.

Waking Up Alone: Grief & Healing Julie K. Cicero, M.S.W., former Hospice of Kitsap County grief counselor, has written a book entitled:  Waking Up Alone: Grief & Healing. Following the death of her husband, Julie obtained a Master's in Social Work and began her career as a hospice grief counselor. Her current work includes daily interaction with people who are in the process of losing their loved ones and with those who are surviving the death of a loved one. Julie's book can be purchased for $17.95 by calling Hospice of Kitsap County at (360) 698-4611.  All book sale proceeds benefit the Hospice of Kitsap County Care Center. HOME