Our Good Grief Group, which provides support for people when a loved one has died while under the care of the hospice, and for those experiencing a palliative diagnosis, has recently celebrated its first anniversary.
The group, which meets at our Selly Park site, complements the similar Stepping Stones group which meets at Erdington. Each group meets for 12 consecutive weeks, after which it is hoped that they will keep in touch with each other to continue to offer support.
The meetings are facilitated by the hospice’s own trained counsellors, but members are encouraged to lead sessions themselves by talking about what is most important to them.
To mark the occasion, the first cohort of group members, who first got together in November 2024 and came up with the group name themselves, returned to share their progress one year on.
One of the main benefits from the group has been the friendships they have made, evidenced by the fact that they have kept in contact and continued to get together after their time meeting at the hospice came to an end.
Group member Karen Cope said: “The biggest gift of this group has been the friendship network we’ve made. Our WhatsApp group is called Friday Friends, and most days someone will post something on there. We’ve all continued to meet up, sometimes all together and sometimes in smaller groups.
“We’ve all seen each other at our most vulnerable, and while we’re at different stages in our grief journeys, we have that in common and I can say things to these people that I wouldn’t be able to say to anyone else.”
Kelly-Anne McNally initially received 1-1 counselling at the hospice after her mum Sue died before moving onto the group, and she said the experience had surpassed her expectations.
She added: “I think some of us were a bit apprehensive about the group but it really felt comfortable and natural straight away. I didn’t expect that a hospice would teach me how to live, but that is what has happened – we’ve learned how to carry on and make the most of our lives again after losing someone we’ve loved.
“Grief doesn’t come with an instruction book but everyone here has been supportive and I’ve learned a lot. We all have bad days, but we also have uplifting days and we grab onto all the good stuff as well.”
