SUPPORT GROUPS

What support groups are near you?

I am still trying to discover support groups. If you know of one, please respond to this post. Please include the area where the group meets and how it can be contacted. Thank you for contributing.

• Caring Connections: A Hope and Comfort in Grief Program. This program is run by the University of Utah College of Nursing. The program runs continually, and each session is 8 weeks long. The cost is $50, which includes a class guide. The people who sign up for the program are divided into different groups according to their ages. For example, a parent and child would arrive together, but spend the time in different groups. I found the program helpful overall, although some class discussions and activities were not helpful to me personally. There are meeting locations in Salt Lake City, Midvale, and Orem. The program's website is http://www.nurs.utah.edu/caringconnections/groups/guidelines.htm
• Salt Lake. It looks like there is a group of LDS widows and widowers that meets twice a year in April and October to socialize. The meetings are around Salt Lake. I discovered this on the "Events" link of the following website: http://www.ldswidows.com/ There is also a "LDS Widows and Widowers" group on Facebook.
• Ogden, Utah. There is a group of young LDS widows and widowers that meets regularly in Ogden, Utah. An article about this group is at http://www.standard.net/live/news/128521
• National. There is a national online support group for young widows and widowers at www.youngwidow.org. On the site, you can join message boards for people at different stages of bereavement. You will sometimes encounter rough language. Sometimes I go to this site just to see that I am not alone in this terrible pain.
• The Sharing Place. This is a center in Sugarhouse, Utah, that assists grieving children and teens (in case you are a parent). I have heard really good things about it, although I don't know many details. Their phone number is (801) 466-6730.
• Salt Lake. If you are interested in forming a group to meet regularly in Salt Lake, please respond to this post. I would especially like to find anyone with young kids interested in a forming a play group. Thanks.
• National. www.sslf.org