Sacred Heart - Inspiring Health

THE PAIN MIGHT NEVER GO AWAY, BUT EXPERIENCED RESOURCES AT THE HEALING PLACE KNOW THAT THINGS CAN GET BETTER. WHEN MARK HARNISCH lost his 8-year-old son Dakota to cerebral palsy, he tried to handle it on his own for a few years. "I thought I was just being a man and dealing with it," Mark says. "It's not healthy, though. A lot of guys turn to booze or drugs to bury their emotions. But talking about your grief is what helps." Mark began attending the Parents Grief Support Group at The Healing Place and quickly recognized the value of interacting with people who had been through the same experience. "A big part of grief is feeling alone and like no one understands," he says. "But if you can connect with someone who has gotten through it, you start to believe you can get better." Now Mark helps facilitate this group as a way of fostering that sense of hope. He welcomes new participants with empathy, guides conversations, and points people to additional resources, such as counseling. A SAFE PLACE TO GO For parents who have lost an infant or experienced a miscarriage or stillbirth, the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Group is another safe, valuable resource offered at The Healing Place. "We encourage participants to connect with their emotions, without feeling judged," says Tammy Specken, RN, a facilitator for the group. "Some parents may not have trusted family members or friends who really get what they're going through." Parents who lose an infant upon delivery often do not know how to respond or what to do, so Specken and fellow facilitator Pat Gonstead attempt to provide support right away. "We encourage them to take the time to meet their baby and say goodbye. They are in a state of shock, and having moments like that can help with their grief," Gonstead says. Specken and Gonstead also refer parents to resources such as Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, a nationwide organization that assists with remembrance photography as a means of coping. "The public often doesn't know how to act with someone who has lost a baby," Gonstead says. "It can feel like they don't have permission to fully grieve. Here, people are free to be themselves and share their real feelings." COPING WITH A LOVED ONE'S SUICIDE IN MARCH 2012, Chris and Matt Huth of Fairchild lost their 18-year-old son, Nick, to suicide. It took more than a year before they began attending a support group for parents who had lost children. Once there, they recognized they were not alone. "There seemed to be more and more parents coming to the group who had lost a son or daughter to suicide. We wanted to help them by establishing another group where we could gather and listen to one another," Matt says. "This is a tough journey. It's a different kind of loss, and the group helps." The group is open to anyone dealing with the aftermath of suicide. It meets at The Healing Place on the first and third Thursdays of the month, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. To learn more about the Suicide Survivor Support Group, call The Healing Place at 715.717.6028. ENDURING THE LOSS OF A CHILD The Parents Grief Support Group meets on the first, third, and fifth Mondays of each month, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. The Pregnancy and Infant Loss Support Group meets on the second Thursday of the month, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. To learn more about these groups, call 715.717.6028 or visit sacredhearteauclaire.org/supportgroups. 7 S A C R E D H E A R T E A U C L A I R E . O R G

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