Dealing with Grief

    A profound sense of loss is felt at the death of a loved one whether that death is sudden or expected. There is no set pattern to grief. Some people grieve for a short time while others may never fully recover from their loss. Some won't experience their grief until some time later. There is no one right way to grieve. As each of us are individuals so too is our grief. The ability to make it through the death of a loved one can be challenging. You may have feelings of shock and disbelief, anger, guilt and depression.

    Caring for yourself is not selfish. The period of recovery is different for every person. It is during these times that the support of friends and family is so important. Having a visitation, funeral or memorial service is an important part of the grieving process and brings people together who can give you a support network. If that is not enough, your local community, religious organizations and many healthcare organizations offer grief counseling or grief support groups. Although it may be difficult to reach out to these groups at first, many have found grief support groups to be a place where one can continue to grieve openly with others who share their pain.

    Should you desire group or individual counseling, we can recommend the following organizations. Should you have any questions or concerns for us, contact us by email (Click on CONTACT FUNERAL HOME at the bottom of this page) or by telephone, 701-282-6699 or 701-347-4422.  At the end of this web page, we have provided you with the online internet connections to other grief and healing sites.

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LOCAL GRIEF & HEALING RESOURCES



WEST FUNERAL HOME offers a selection of booklets that we can provide you. Please contact us in order to obtain any information.

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West Fargo Area Bereavement Group


Coordinators: Judy Drew - parish nurse at Holy Cross Catholic Church
and Lutheran Church of the Cross
Marlene Batterberry - parish nurse at Faith Lutheran Church

The group will meet on the first Sunday of every month at 3:00 p.m.
Location: alternating between Faith Lutheran Church and the Cross Way Center between the Lutheran Church of the Cross and Holy Cross Catholic Church.
They will discuss a variety of topics and have much time for sharing.
For more information please call Judy at 282-7217 or Marlene at 282-3309.

Compassionate Friends


Fargo/Moorhead Area Chapter #1313
Leader: John Milligan
632 22nd Street East
West Fargo ND 58078 (701) 282-4794
email: patkylenemilligan@yahoo.com

For the National Compassionate Friends website
CLICK HERE



LUTHERAN CHURCH OF THE CROSS (ELCA)
HOLY CROSS CATHOLIC CHURCH
GRIEF MINISTRY
Sue Fraase and Judy Drew, Parish Nurses
Lutheran Church of the Cross (ELCA)
Telephone: 701-282-0514
Fax: 701-277-9337

Holy Cross Catholic Church
Telephone: 701-282-7217
Fax: 701-282-2753

Meetings are held monthly (call for summer schedule)
 --  Training for Grief Ministry
 --  Individual Support
 --  Family Support

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HOSPICE OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY


1701 38th Street South Suite#101, Fargo ND 58103-4499
Director:  Susan Fuglie
Telephone: 701-356-1500
Toll Free: 800-237-4629
EMAIL ADDRESS:  questions@hrrv.org
LOCAL SUPPORT GROUPS with HOSPICE of the RRV
Hospice of the Red River Valley offers grief support groups for widows/widowers,
adults coping with any type of loss, men's group, and adults coping with loss of a
spouse who still have young children. Most of these groups meet monthly.
There is also a youth group which meets twice yearly.

All groups are open to the public. Participation is not limited to those served
by Hospice of the Red River Valley. All groups meet in the lounge of the Fargo Office.
Call the Hospice of the RRV for any time changes or seasonal changes.



For more information click on the links below.

HOSPICE of the RED RIVER VALLEY WEBSITE
NATIONAL HOSPICE WEBSITE

 
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ONLINE GRIEF & HEALING RESOURCES



COMPASSION BOOKS

HELP GUIDE  
ASSN FOR DEATH EDUCATION AND COUNSELING
FAMILY CAREGIVER ALLIANCE
GRIEF & LOSS POEMS
BEREAVEMENT POEMS & ARTICLES
COUNSELING FOR LOSS AND LIFE CHANGES
BEYOND INDIGO - Death & Dying
GRIEF COUNSELOR
DR ALAN WOLFELT'S CENTER FOR LOSS AND LIFE TRANSITION
BABY LOSS GRIEF RESOURCES
GRIEF RESOURCES CATALOG (Books, Cards, Tapes and Gifts)
GRIEFNET
GROWTH HOUSE, INC
GROWW (Grief Recovery Online)
MAXIMUM LIVING CONSULTANT
CHILDREN's GRIEF EDUCATION ASSN
NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO''S SERIES ON DEATH
RENEW: CENTER FOR PERSONAL RECOVERY
SYMPATHY SHARING
YAHOO''S GRIEF-RELATED INDEX  Type "grief" in search.