by Marisue Alsobrook
Introduction:  Do you have someone close to you who is in grief?  Are you struggling trying to talk to those in pain? I know you want to help. Sometimes the best thing to say is nothing much.  Please avoid giving well meaning advice.  Listen.  Make comforting sounds.  Hug or don't hug.  Be there.  [...]

Helping Yourself Heal
When Your Child Dies
by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D.
Allow Yourself to Mourn
Your child has died. You are now faced with the difficult, but important, need to mourn. Mourning is the open expression of your thoughts and feelings regarding the death of your child. It is an essential part of healing.
With the death of [...]

The Journey Through Grief:The Mourner’s Six “Reconciliation Needs”
by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D.
The death of someone loved changes our lives forever. And the movement from the “before” to the “after” is almost always a long, painful journey. From my own experiences with loss as well as those of the thousands of grieving people I have worked [...]

Marisue says:  "This has to be one of the worst things anyone can experience.  I hope this information will help.  I will continue to research this topic and add those findings and my own writings to my website."   
Helping a Homicide Survivor Heal
by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D. 
A friend has experienced the sudden, violent death of someone [...]

Marisue says:  "This is a must read if you have family members or friends in grief.  If you are in grief, give this to others so they can understand."  
The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D.
Though you should reach out to others as you do the work of mourning, you should not feel obligated to [...]

Teens in Sadness, Grief, or Crisis
“Do you have a teen going through a crisis or stuck in grief?  Helping teenagers must begin with a bit of parent education.  When we understand just a little more about their development, we can then begin to map out a parenting strategy that can be useful in helping us [...]

“Facilitating a group takes practice and the development of skills.  It means leading the discussion, not lecturing.  It involves encouraging repsonses, and directing thinking.  Highlighting points as they’re made, making quick internal summaries, and keeping people on subject.  When grief is added to the mixture of people, anything can happen.”
Preparation:
If you desire advertising the [...]

“Technically, there are two types of grief groups. Informational and support groups are for individuals who have an interest in the grief process. The purpose of these groups is to promote grief education and awareness. It covers the grief process in a more academic fashion.”
The second type of grief group is a process and personal [...]

Building Trust

“Trust is the basis of all human relationships. Trust can be thought of as a tool that can measure the positive and negative nature of a relationship. The more positive one feels about others in the group, the more likely they are to share feelings, thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Those persons who cannot trust [...]

by Marisue Alsobrook 
Dancin’ and Prancin’ Through Christmas 
“Holidays bring many memories.  For foster children, Christmas memories can be painful.  Foster parents often cringe at the upcoming holidays, as abused children can really act out during  this time of year.  I remember one Christmas, we all wanted to do something really special to help others.  We adopted [...]