Grief Support

While we all experience grief differently, no one has to go it alone. Centrica Care Navigator’s experienced team is here for you.

All Centrica Grief Support groups are free and open to anyone in the community. They are led by experienced grief support counselors and trained volunteers. In a comfortable and accepting environment, you’ll find the support you need and meet others who are making a similar journey. A variety of services are also available for those who have had a loved one in our hospice program.

Our Grief Support Groups

Adult Workshops

Drop-In Groups

Children and Community

Calendar

Grief Resources

If you have questions about the grief support groups listed below, please call us at 269.345.0273

Spouse/Partner Loss

A four-week grief support group for adults grieving the loss of a partner. This group is free and open to the public. Call the Portage Zhang Senior Center to register.

269.329.4555

Parenting While Grieving

This group is focused on helping parents provide support to children who are grieving a loss. Pre-registration is required.

Grieving Parents

A six-week workshop for parents who are mourning the death of a child of any age beyond infancy. This group focuses on coping with grief and beginning or continuing the process of healing. Pre-registration is required.

Parent Loss

A six-week workshop for adults grieving the death of a parent. This group focuses on ways of coping, sharing memories and the process of healing. Pre-registration is required.

Baxter Funeral Home Group

This is a group for adults looking for a group to discuss loss, grief experience, support options, and coping. Baxter Funeral Home 375 W Dickman Rd, Battle Creek. Pre-registration is required.

Henry Funeral Home Group

This is a group for adults looking for a group to discuss loss, grief experience, support options, and coping. Henry Funeral Home 703 Capital Ave. SW, Battle Creek. Pre-registration is required.

Coping with the Holidays

In this one-time workshop, which takes place every November, you will commemorate loved ones, develop coping strategies for the holiday season, and learn self-care techniques. Pre-registration is required.

Sibling Loss

A group for adults grieving the death of a sibling. Pre-registration is required.

Men's Grief Group

This six-week series is for anyone mourning the death of a spouse or significant other. It provides an opportunity to learn how to cope with grief and begin the process of healing in a small group setting with other men making a similar journey.

Submit a Grief Support Interest Request Grief Resources

If you have questions about the grief support groups listed below, please call us at 269.345.0273

Grief Connection

An informal, adult drop-in group for those who have recently experienced the death of a loved one. The group currently meets in person and virtually on the first and third Wednesday of the month. A morning group meets in person from 9:30 am to 11:00 am at The Oshtemo Community Center (6407 Parkview Avenue) in Kalamazoo, and an evening group is available virtually from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Registration is required for the evening virtual group.

In Person and Virtual Options Available

Walking Through Grief

Our ongoing drop-in social support walking group. All fitness levels welcome! This is an opportunity for walkers to make connections with others and grow around grief.
This group is held on the 2nd Sunday of every month at 2:00 pm. Meet at Portage Creek Bicentennial Trail at 910 E. Milham Ave, Portage, MI 49002. Registration is not required and all are welcome!

OutFront Grief Circle

A drop-in grief support group serving both the specific needs of the LGBTQ+ community and the common needs of grievers of all kinds. Each session explores a different topic related to grief, combining learning, discussion, and support. The group will meet the First Tuesday of every month from 6:30-8pm. OutFront Kalamazoo, 340 S Rose St, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. Registration is required.

Caregiver Support Group

This group is for caregivers whose loved one is currently receiving care on Centrica Care Navigators hospice or palliative care service. This is for anyone who is caregiving in any capacity, from physical, emotional, financial, or clinical support. Pre-registration is required.

Grief Resources Submit a Grief Support Interest Request

If you have questions about the grief support groups listed below, please call us at 269.345.0273

Centrica Journeys (Grieving Children)

A special year-round group for grieving children, teens and their families who are hurting after the death of a loved one. Here they can express and process their thoughts and feelings, learn healthy coping skills and interact with others close in age.

Grief 101

School-based services for children from elementary to high school who have experienced a loss. The focus of this six-week group is to reduce common grief symptoms and increase coping skills. Group participants are identified by their school counselor. Grief 101 currently works with Kalamazoo Public Schools, Battle Creek Public Schools and Portage Public Schools.

Community Presentations

Our grief support counselors are available to provide community presentations and trainings for groups in the communities we serve.

Camp Good Grief

Camp Good Grief is our annual one-day grief support camp for kids aged 5-17 at Camp Merrie Woode in Plainwell, MI. Camp Good Grief offers a supportive and fun-filled environment, blending traditional camp activities with grief education and emotional support.

Submit a Grief Support Interest Request Grief Resources

Upcoming Grief Support Events

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Submit a Grief Support Interest Request Grief Resources

Upcoming Grief Support Events

The experience of grief affects our whole being – our bodies, minds, and souls. If you are concerned about anything that you are experiencing, call us at 269.345.0273 and ask to speak with a grief support team member.

What Can Help Me During Times of Grief?

Suggestions for coping with anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, or other special dates and seasons after your loved one’s death.

Please remember that grief takes time to work through. The link below covers the four main tasks of grief. Throughout this time, remember that your feelings, no matter what they may be, are not strange or unusual.

Coping with Loss

Keeping a Personal Journal helps highlight the many advantages of writing. We encourage you to try this option, and remember that no one but you will read the journal.

It is important to take care of yourself as you adjust to the changes that have occurred in your life. We have some ideas below to help you through the grieving process.

Getting support from others can be helpful as you cope with your feelings and experiences of grief. You may wish to share the handout How to Help Me in My Grief with family, friends, or coworkers.

The Progress Sheet can help you identify and accept certain feelings and behaviors you may be experiencing. Support for the Whole Person gives suggestions for supporting yourself as you continue to heal.

At times, you may have wondered if you would forget the person who died. It is important to remember that you still have a relationship with your loved one; it is now a relationship of memory.

Commemoration to Honor and Remember

If you have been grieving for a year or more, it may hardly seem possible that a year has gone by since the death of your loved one. At the same time, it may feel like an eternity has passed. Although the intensity of the pain may have diminished, you might still experience moments or even days of feeling the grief and sense of loss. This is perfectly normal. One of the many myths of grief is that there is a time frame within which your grief should be complete.

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Submit a Grief Support Interest Request