This is something that you do not have to do alone! There are many support groups that can help you on your grief journey. In Lafayette, La there is a number of grief support groups offering bereavement care and comfort. Some even offer individual counseling services to help people cope with the emotional, mental and physical responses to loss. Grief support groups can help to normalize the grief process during this period.
There is a wide range of emotions that grief brings about… people often think they will not make it through their grief, but this is a normal emotion and anything you will feel during the process is okay. Going to support groups often normalizes the grief process and helps people feel that what they are experiencing is hard, expected and may be easier when sharing with a group of people experiencing the same thing.
Not every bereaved person needs the additional support of a group outside their circle of friends and family. For instance, anticipatory deaths can generally be less devastating than unexpected deaths. While the loss is still very sad, the fact that it was expected prepares you somewhat for it. Grief support groups cover a wide range of topics by sharing personal stories, asking and answering questions about memorialization and identifying healthy and unhealthy coping mechanisms.
Depending on the type of death the topics can be different. For instance, members who lost their loved ones to suicide or overdose have to first learn how to process the trauma before they are able to deal with grief. A child can also join a support group when a parent or guardian identifies unhealthy coping skills or regressive behaviors. For example, the child may be acting out in school or wetting the bed at home. When this happens, the parents may think about enrolling their child in a grief support group. Grief support groups have a number of areas in their bereavement center that cater to children and teens.
