Community Grief Support

For up-to-date information about our support groups, including meeting times and locations, please visit our calendar:

About the workshops

Our workshops are designed to help you process your grief and emotions in a healthy way, develop coping strategies to manage your grief and move forward, connect with others who are going through a similar experience, and gain insight and understanding about the grieving process.

Workshops are offered on a regular basis and some consist of multiple sessions. Because some of our workshops are a predetermined set of sessions, each with their own program, activities, and purpose, you should plan to attend all sessions to get the full therapeutic benefits of the workshop.

Touchstones: A Workshop on Understanding Your Grief

The grief journey can feel like wandering through a wilderness of hurt, confusion, and sadness among other unsettling emotions. Join us to meet others grieving the death a loved one and explore the path forward after loss.

As a part of our workshop experience, we provide participants with a copy of the book “Understanding Your Grief” by Dr. Alan Wolfelt. This guidebook is a valuable resource that provides insights on “the ten essential touchstones for finding hope and healing your heart.” While donations to cover the cost of the book are gratefully accepted, it’s not a requirement for participation.

When? Four times a year, 6 weekly sessions
Where? Location varies

Grief 101

This interactive, psychoeducational workshop is designed for those who have experienced the death of a loved one in the last year. We will discuss common grief responses, coping with early grief, and how grief affects the brain.

This workshop is an opportunity to learn and share with others affected by grief. However, if you are struggling with grief responses that are particularly concerning to you or would like to discuss sensitive information about your loss, we recommend you speak to a grief support counselor prior to the workshop.

When? Twice a year, 1 session
Where? 333 W Cork St, Winchester, VA, unless otherwise indicated

Exploring Grief Through Equine-Assisted Learning

After loss, healing happens when we have the chance to remember and mourn, tell our story, and reconnect with life. In this 3-session workshop, offered quarterly by Blue Ridge Hospice in collaboration with Holistic Horsemanship Services, you will get to know the horses and engage in hands-on activities including horse grooming, horse leading, and guiding the horse through an obstacles course.

Through hands-on activities with horses, participants will explore how to navigate struggles, challenges, and obstacles in the grieving process. This three-session workshop includes horse grooming, horse leading, and an obstacle course. The workshop is open to individuals and families.

When? Four times a year, 3 weekly sessions
Where? New Hope Farm near Round Hill, VA

Register

Participation in our groups is available to anyone in our service area and entirely free of cost, but registration is required.

To register, call 540-313-9214, email, or register below:

Get in touch

Community grief support is available to anyone who needs it.

You can reach us at griefsupport@blueridgehospice.org, give us a call at +1 (540)-313-9214, or contact us below.

Our counselors

  • Courtney McCalley, MSEd

  • Christina Thomas, LCSW

  • Sarah Chizanskos, MSW