Talbot Hospice, through the generous support of Mariah’s Mission Fund of the Mid-Shore Community Foundation, will begin offering a grief support group, “Together . . . Silent No More,” for those who have lost a loved one due to substance abuse and addiction. The open monthly meetings begin on October 14, the second Wednesday of the month, and will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Talbot Hospice at 586 Cynwood Drive in Easton. All the meetings are free and open to all residents of the Mid Shore. Subsequent meetings of the group will be held on November 11 and December 9.
According to Norma Trax, LCSW-C, clinical social worker and group facilitator with Talbot Hospice, “We have been noticing that families and loved ones affected by substance abuse and addiction deaths have little, if any, support – they don’t know how to access it.” She adds, “It’s very difficult to step out because of the stigma around this issue.”
Valerie Albee of Easton, who lost her daughter Mariah to a heroin addiction, understands the desperate need for support. For Valerie and her husband Rick, who were living in Severna Park at the time, the effects were devastating. Their only child was gone. Valerie turned to grief counseling to try and deal with her loss and eventually found solace in a bereavement group of parents in Pasadena. The members were like her, having lost children to substance abuse. She recalls, “I wouldn’t be alive today without their counseling help.”
After moving to Easton to continue her recovery from Mariah’s death, she was encouraged by her new group of friends to establish a fund that could support a similar bereavement group on the Eastern Shore. Valerie approached the Mid-Shore Community Foundation and established Mariah’s Mission Fund to honor her daughter, Mariah. The mission of the Fund is to provide resources for worthy organizations that support families who have lost loved ones to drugs and/or alcohol. Valerie adds, “We will use our struggles and experiences to empower the community through awareness and education.”
After establishing the Fund and holding a successful fundraiser, Valerie then approached Talbot Hospice about supporting them to establish a local bereavement group. Mariah’s Mission Fund will help pay for the facilitators, printed materials and promotion of the new group.
Shelly Kulp, LGSW, Bereavement Coordinator and Co-Facilitator for Talbot Hospice, comments, “It’s a privilege to be working with Val and to take her vision forward. Her passion for this issue is inspiring.”
Part of the bereavement process is to look at the guilt involved with a death. This is particularly true with substance abuse deaths. The Talbot Hospice Chaplain has done a number of memorial services for individuals who have died from substance abuse in the community.
Kulp comments, “A death due to substance abuse or addiction is often one of the most difficult deaths to experience as it often happens suddenly. As parents experiencing this type of death, we often ask ourselves what we could have done to prevent it.”
Trax adds, “The bereavement group experience enables people to share their experiences with people of similar experiences so that they will know they are not alone. They can address the stigma in a safe and confidential place. The experience changes as we are able to talk about it. It loses power over us once we can articulate it.”
“We are hopeful to have an impact in addressing the grief and suffering around this issue in the community,” concludes Kulp.
In addition to this new bereavement group, Talbot Hospice offers grief support groups for adults in the fall and spring of each year that focus on the loss of a spouse or a child. Groups providing grief support for children are established as needed in conjunction with area guidance counselors and Talbot Hospice offers a summer day camp each year for children grieving on the Mid Shore. There are also special bereavement groups during the holidays and for caregivers. Individuals may also contact Talbot Hospice and seek support individually. Talbot Hospice bereavement groups are open to anyone on the Mid Shore regardless of whether the family was served by Talbot Hospice or not.
For further information or to register for Talbot Hospice’s new grief support group, “Together . . . Silent No More,” contact Shelly Kulp at Talbot Hospice at 410-822-6681. For further information about other offerings by Talbot Hospice, visit talbothospice.org or call 410-822-6681.
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