Everyone grieves differently. Whether it is grief caused by losing someone close to you or grief caused by moving to a new town, knowing the steps and how to cope is important for everyone.
Prior to working in the West Fargo School District, Sheyenne counselor Erin Spies interned at a middle school in Wayzata where the counselors offered a grief group for students who have experienced any type of loss. Spies later found out that there were also resources in the Fargo-Moorhead area to get these groups started.
“Through this [group], Hospice sends out a social worker to partner with a school counselor and run grief groups in local area high schools,” Spies said. “I think it is a valuable resource for students and important to offer these systems of support for students in our district.”
The group meets once a week for seven or eight weeks out of the year and has discussions that focus on a different theme each meeting.
“Part of the group involves discussion on the weekly topic or theme, sharing and expressing personal stories and situations regarding loss,” Spies said. “We also do many hands on activities to learn more about the weekly topic.”
With games like Jenga, the groups answer questions that are on the blocks, helping with the coping process.
The high school is also in the process of setting up grief groups. Hospice of the Red River Valley will be coming in to lead two groups of students who have lost friends, whether that is someone in the building or someone outside of school. The counselors at our school will also be working with a group of students.
“Our team is facilitating a grief group for students who have lost family members,” counselor Chasity Odden-Heide said.
Around 60 students were originally screened for the groups and 40 of those students will take part in the grief groups, using a set curriculum like the one used at Sheyenne.
“The curriculum gives us a little bit of a structure,” Odden-Heide said. “It helps [students] work through the initial stages together with very structured activities.”
When going through the grieving process, few people remember they are not alone. Counseling groups like the one set up at Sheyenne open the eyes of students and help them realize others are going through similar situations.
“For teenagers especially, having time to gather together for a shared experience is helpful,” Odden-Heide said. “Just to know that you’re not the only one who’s getting mad or has a short fuse or that is still really sad. It’s helpful to know that other people are going through the same process as you.”