Grief education and support group offered in Hilmar in January

A 13-week education and support group for adults who have lost loved ones will be offered at the Hilmar Covenant Church Family Center beginning in early January.

The group will meet Sundays from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The meetings are free, but a personal workbook is provided for $15. Scholarships are available.

The GriefShare program is part teaching seminar and part support group, said Carolyn Scott Ahlem, a licensed marriage and family therapist who specializes in the area of grief and loss and will lead the series.

The Christ-centered seminar portion will be presented using GriefShare DVDs. The support group segment will allow participants to talk through issues and feelings related to their own experiences.

Session topics include “The Challenges of Grief,” “Grief and Your Relationships,” “Guilt and Anger,” “Stuck in Grief,” “Lessons of Grief” and more.

Ahlem has lost children and said she knows grief’s journey well. “When we lose someone we love, we feel crushed and broken,” she said in a news release. “We wonder how we will survive. Will we ever laugh or feel joy again? If we will cooperate with the natural grief process, the answer is a resounding yes.”

Hilmar Covenant Church is at 20056 American Ave. For more information or to register for the group, call Ahlem at 209-634-2762.

This story was originally published December 24, 2015 at 11:55 AM with the headline "Grief education and support group offered in Hilmar in January."