Winter can often be a season that deepens the ache of loss. Chesapeake Life Center offers many workshops and support groups designed to bring light, connection and hope to those who are grieving.
From creative art experiences and nature-informed healing to skill-building workshops and supportive community groups, these programs provide gentle spaces to honor loved ones, explore complex emotions and find strength for the season ahead.
With options for adults, teens and children, both in-person and virtual, the grief experts of Hospice of the Chesapeake are committed to helping individuals navigate loss with care, community and meaningful pathways toward healing.
WORKSHOPS AND SPECIAL PROGRAMS
- Visioning Through the Valleys: A Vision Board Experience for the Grieving Heart – This workshop offers a gentle, guided space to honor what you’ve lost while envisioning the life you’re still becoming. Together, participants will explore how grief shapes identity, purpose and the future. Then, everyone will create vision boards that reflect both remembrance and renewal. Participants will leave with clarity, intention and a visual reminder of their strength. It will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 6, on the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena, Maryland. The cost is free.
- Branches of the Heart for Kids and Teens: Remembering Loved Ones Through Nature – When someone we love dies, it can feel like winter inside our hearts. But just like the trees, we hold strength and life beneath the surface. In this nature-informed workshop, kids and teens ages 6 to 18 are invited to explore their grief and honor loved ones through art, reflection and gentle time outdoors. It will be held from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Jan. 17, in the Center for Hope & Healing on the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena. The cost is free.
- Hot Chocolate and Grief Bingo – Pour a delicious cup of hot chocolate and share what’s on your mind about grief through a bingo game developed to help explore your thoughts and feelings about your loss. Get support from grief counselors and others who are experiencing grief. It will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, on the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena. The cost is free.
- In Winter Deep: A Workshop for Coping Beyond the Holidays – The winter holiday season has now passed. The days remain short and the nights long, and grief can feel closer, ever-present in the darkness of this time of year. Yet, the winter season, with its quiet depth, offers an opportunity to work through the pain of loss with the restorative power of rest and reflection. This post-holiday workshop can help participants find a way through grief in this mid-winter time. It will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 29, at 9500 Medical Center Drive, Suite 250, Largo, Maryland. The cost is free.
- Creating Hope: Therapeutic Art Exercises in Griefwork for Teens and Adults – Creating can help us express things we have no words for, discover more about ourselves and glean beauty through our sorrow. In this workshop, 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, Feb. 7, at the Burnett Center for Hope and Healing, 4559 Sixes Road, Prince Frederick, Maryland. The cost is $10 per session, which pays for supplies.
- 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, Feb. 19 through March 12, at Lake Artemesia Natural Area, 8200 55th Ave., College Park, Maryland.
- Pillow Making Workshop – Bring one of your loved one’s button-down shirts or T-shirts and receive step-by-step support and guidance to make a pillow to remember them by. No sewing experience required. Light refreshments will be served. Only 10 spaces are available, so people should register as soon as possible. It will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 28 on the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena. The cost is $10.
- All-Ages Grief Karaoke – Join in an all-ages afternoon of music filled with fun and karaoke. Honor your loved one by singing songs that they loved or songs that you shared. The group can sing it together or you can be solo on the mic. Find commonalities with people who have also lost loved ones and encounter different music genres. It will be held from 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21, on the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena. The cost is free.
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:
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- North Beach Senior Center, 9010 Chesapeake Ave., North Beach, Maryland, from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 7, Feb. 4 and March 4.
- Southern Pines Senior Center, 20 Appeal Lane, Lusby, Maryland, from 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 13, Feb. 10 and March 10.
- Calvert Pines Senior Center, 450 W. Dares Beach Road, Prince Frederick, from 1 to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 20, Feb. 17 and March 17.
- SoulCollage Studio – Join others 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, Jan. 5 and March 2 at 9500 Medical Center Drive, Suite 250, Largo. 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, Jan. 8, Feb. 12 and March 12 on the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena. The cost is free.
- Loss of Life Partner Evening Group – This support group is for individuals grieving the loss of a spouse or life partner that happened more than 13 months ago. It offers a safe space for individuals to connect with others experiencing a similar loss. It will meet from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 13, Feb. 10 and March 10 on the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena. The cost is free.
- Navigating Grief: A Support Group for Those Coping with Loss. This monthly support group is for anyone grieving the death of a loved one. Together, participants will explore the many layers of grief, from understanding the grieving process (Grief 101) to learning how to care for ourselves, find moments of joy and stay connected to loved ones even after their passing. This is a safe and welcoming space for sharing, support and healing. It will take place from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 13, Feb. 10 and March 10, 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 at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, March 16, in the Center for Hope & Healing on the John & Cathy Belcher Campus, 90 Ritchie Highway, Pasadena. The cost is free.
VIRTUAL GRIEF SUPPORT
- 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, Feb. 2, via Zoom.
- 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, Jan. 13, Feb. 10 and March 10, via Zoom.
- Suicide Loss Support Group – Come together for an evening of connecting with others online over the sudden loss of a loved one. This monthly group will explore topics such as guilt, anger and the aftermath of suicide. It will meet via Zoom from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Jan. 26, Feb. 23 and March 23. The cost is free.
Unless noted, groups and workshops are intended for adults ages 18 and older. 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.