Chesapeake Life Center offers a range of grief support groups and workshops this fall designed to help adults, teens and families cope with loss through creative expression, nature, mindfulness, and peer support in both in-person and virtual formats.
WORKSHOPS AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS
- Nature’s Healing Power: A Grief Support Group Series is a free, nature-informed program that will include immersive walks in nature, time spent focusing on the cycle of the seasons and working with natural objects to contain and express the grief experience. It will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays, Sept. 25, and Oct. 2, 9 and 16, at Governor Bridge Natural Area, 7600 Governor Bridge Road, Bowie, Maryland.
- Monday Morning Mindfulness – Enjoy a peaceful and supportive experience designed to reduce stress, enhance focus, and bring more awareness into your daily life. Start your Monday with mindfulness and set the tone for a balanced, intentional week. Open to the community, staff and clients. It will take place at 8:30 to 9 a.m. Oct. 6, Nov. 3 and Dec. 1 in the Michael Stanley Children’s Garden, weather permitting, or the Center for Hope & Healing. Both are located on the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, Maryland. This is a free program.
- Creating Hope: Therapeutic Art Exercises in Griefwork – Creating can help us express things we have no words for, discover more about ourselves and glean beauty through our sorrow. In each session, people will participate in a therapeutic art project to help with personal grief work and connect with one another. This workshop is open to teens, as well as adults. Supplies are provided. No art skills are required. It will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11 and Dec. 13 at the Burnett Center for Hope and Healing, 4559 Sixes Road, Prince Frederick, Maryland. The cost is $10 per session, which pays for supplies.
- SoulCollage for Teens — SoulCollage is a collage-making activity that allows you to express yourself in whatever way feels OK to you. Sometimes we just can’t use spoken word express yourself about losing a special person. As the old saying goes, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” This workshop is for teens ages 13 to 18 and will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14 on the John and Cathy Belcher Campus in Pasadena. The cost is $10 for supplies.
- Handling the Holidays is a workshop to help people facing the holiday season after a loss. It offers support, opportunities to honor memories and time to explore coping strategies. There will be time for discussion and a creative project. Everyone will go home with a resource packet and a remembrance item. Adults and teens and children ages 6 and older are welcome. The session will take place from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Nov. 8, at the Burnett Center for Hope and Healing, 4559 Sixes Road, Prince Frederick. The cost is $10 per person or $20 per household. Please register by Oct. 31.
- Living with Loss through the Holidays is a workshop that offers support, honors memories and explores coping strategies through the holiday season. Participants will create a keepsake to honor the memory of their loved one. Teens and adults ages 15 and older are welcome. It will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 15 at 9500 Medical Center Drive, Suite 250, Largo. The cost is $10 for supplies.
- Smash and Mend — In this expressive arts workshop, participants will engage in the cathartic process of smashing ceramics and using the broken pieces to create something new in the form of a mosaic project. It will take place from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Monday, Dec. 15, at 9500 Medical Center Drive, Suite 250, Largo. The cost is $15 for supplies.
MONTHLY GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS:
- Drop-In Grief Support Groups are open to anyone grieving. Groups offer participants an opportunity to share their feelings and obtain support from others who are experiencing loss. There is no fee. These groups will meet in Calvert County as follows:
- North Beach Senior Center, 9010 Chesapeake Ave., North Beach, Maryland, from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Oct. 1, Nov. 5 and Dec. 3.
- Southern Pines Senior Center, 20 Appeal Lane, Lusby, Maryland, from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 14 and Dec. 9. The Nov. 11 session is canceled due to Veterans Day holiday.
- Calvert Pines Senior Center, 450 W. Dares Beach Road, Prince Frederick, Maryland, from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 21, Nov. 18 and Dec. 16.
- SoulCollage Studio – Join us in person or virtually for a time to create unique collages reflecting and expressing loss and the journey through life. It will meet from 2 to 5 p.m. on Mondays, Oct. 6 and Dec. 1 at 9500 Medical Center Drive, Suite 250, Largo, Maryland. The supply fee is $10.
- Loss of Parent or Parental Figure Support Group provides space for those grieving the loss of a parent or parental figure to come together to feel supported in their grief. The group will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays, 9, Nov. 13 and Dec. 11 on the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena. The cost is free.
- Now what? Navigating Grief: A Support Group for Those Coping with Loss. This monthly support group is for anyone grieving the death of a loved one. The group will explore the many layers of grief, from understanding the grieving process to learning how to care for ourselves, find moments of joy, and stay connected to our loved ones even after their passing. This is a safe and welcoming space for sharing, support, and healing. Whether your loss is recent or years old, all are welcome. It meets from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Oct. 14, Nov. 18 and Dec. 9 in the Center for Hope & Healing on the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena. The cost is free.
- Child Loss Support Group is for parents grieving the death of a child, regardless of age or circumstance. It will meet from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Mondays, Oct. 20, Nov. 17 and Dec. 15, in the Center for Hope & Healing on the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, Maryland. The cost is free.
VIRTUAL GRIEF SUPPORT
- Loss of Life Partner/Spouse Virtual Group is a free group for individuals grieving the death of a spouse or life partner. It will meet from 10:30 a.m. to noon Tuesdays, Oct. 14, Nov. 11 and Dec. 9, via Zoom.
- SoulCollage Virtual Support Group for Loss and Transition is a free group with participants creating collages to commemorate lost loved ones and visually journal the grief process. It is a time to virtually share and process unique collages reflecting and expressing the journey through life. The group will meet from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3, via Zoom.
Except for drop-in groups, registration is required and can be completed by calling 888-501-7077 or emailing griefinfo@chesapeakelifecenter.org. Visit www.hospicechesapeake.org/events for a complete listing of in-person and virtual groups and workshops for adults and children.
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Chesapeake Life Center, a program service of Hospice of the Chesapeake, serves hospice family members and the community with bereavement services and activities aimed at enhancing the quality of life for those grieving the loss of a loved one. For details, visit www.chesapeakelifecenter.org.