National Conference on College Student Grief

I was not aware that there was a conference that focused specifically on grief in college students until I came across the National Students of AMF.

The National Students of AMF is a support network created by David Fajbenbaum and his best friend after the loss of his mother, Anne Marie Fajgenbaum (AMF), to brain cancer.

At the time David was a student at Georgetown University. He wanted to create an outlet for students who were coping with an illness or death and suffering in silence without support like he was. He started the support group with just 10 of his friends and the group grew to include over 400 members of the Georgetown community.

The network has been contacted by students and administrators from over 100 universities interested in starting their own chapters.

The National Students of AMF support network will be holding its third annaul National Conference on College Student Grief this August.

This conference provides a national forum for student leaders, grieving college students, the college mental health community, college administrators and other interested parties to discuss current issues and future directions in college student grief support.

For additional information on The National Students of AMF or the conference please click on the title link.

Myths about Grief

Difficulties with Grief contribute to myths and misunderstandings about it. Myths about grief often serve as a standard to measure the stage where one is in the grieving process and how well one is dealing with grief. The following are few myths about grief from the Hospice Foundation of America;

Myth: We only grieve deaths.
Reality: We grieve all losses.

Myth: Only family members grieve.
Reality: All who are attached grieve.

Myth: Grief is an emotional reaction.
Reality: Grief is manifested in many ways.

Myth: Individuals should leave grieving at home.
Reality: We cannot control where we grieve.

Myth: We slowly and predictably recover from grief.
Reality: Grief is an uneven process, a roller coaster with no timeline.

For more myths about grief, click the above title for a link to the website.

Grief and Loss support in the DMV area

Here is some information about Grief Counselors and Support Groups in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area.

Wendt Center for Loss & Healing
Individual grief counseling/
Support groups for adults and children
4201 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 300
Washington DC, 20008
202-624-0010
www.wendtcenter.org

Mary Tiernan Brough,LPC
11333 Sunset Hills Rd
Reston, VA 20194 703-742-8540.

Harriet Dolinsky, LCSW
11363 Sunset Hills Road, Reston, VA 20190
703-471-0744

Elizabeth Haase, Ph.D.
Washington, D.C.
202-232-7877

Anita Novak, LPC
Fairfax, VA
703-437-4920

Martha Gibbons, Ph.D.
6669 Barnaby Street, NW, Washington, DC 20015
202-364-3919

Terry Adams, LCSW
The Counseling Center of Fairfax
10470 Armstrong St, Fairfax, VA 22030
703-385-7575 x 16

Mark Gardner, LCSW
703-655-7694
mark@markgardnerlcsw.com
www.markgardnerlcsw.com

Ana Lastra, LPC
www.analastra.com
703-708-8255
specializing in post partum support
Spanish

Robyn McMahon, LCSW
5909 22nd St., Arlington, VA 22205
703-533-0132

Lynda Mulhauser, Ph.D.
4550 Montgomery Avenue, Suite 733 North
Bethesda, MD 20814 202-423-7160

March of Dimes
2700 S. Quincy St
Arlington, VA 22206
703-824-0111
www.marchofdimes.com

Jane Ashley, LPC, LMFT 703 328-5891
jane@cwb-counseling.com
Carol Miller, LCSW 703 395-4980
carol@cwb-counseling.com
The Center for Well Being
124D East Broad Street
Falls Church, Va. 22046
www.cwb-counseling.com (703) 534-5100

Postpartum Support International
www.postpartumva.org

Empty Arms, Aching Heart Support Group at Washington Adventist Hospital. monthly perinatal loss support group for Spanish AND English speaking bereaved parents. (Two separate groups). The group meets the 2nd Sunday of the month from 2:30 - 4pm. The contact is: Melanie Bailey, Chaplain (301) 891-5265 OR mbailey@adventisthealthcare.com.

Terry Newman, LCSW
Virginia SIDS Alliance
757-819-6163

Manassas Church of the Brethren
Group meets Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
703-392-8006

Bereavement Support
Bethel Lutheran Church Manassas VA
703-368-9800

Compassionate Friends
For parents who have lost a child
703-525-9311
Prince William- www.tcfprincewilliam.org
Fairfax- www.tcfarlington.org
Burke/Springfield- www.tcfbsf.org www.compassionatefriends.org

Haven of Northern Virginia
4606 Ravensworth Road, Annandale, VA
703-941-7000

Capital Hospice
Grief and Loss Services
6565 Arlington Blvd., Suite 500
Falls Church, VA. 22042
703-538-2064, 5 Office
1-888-583-1900


Hospice Caring, Inc. (Montgomery County)
Nine support groups including miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death
301-869-HOPE (4673)
301-990-0854 Toby Rabin, bereavement coordinator
www.hospicecaring.org
hospice@hospicecaring.org

MIS: Miscarriage Infant Death and Stillbirth Support Groups 301-460-6222
Subsequent Pregnancies:
Maryland call 301-530-1094
Virginia 703-754-5836.
For Spanish, call 703-326-9262

A Mother’s Heart Ministry
Forget-Me-Not Support Group
Meets 3rd Third Thursday of every month, 7-9pm
amothersheart@comcast.net
www.amothersheartministry.com


Northern Virginia Fetal Infant Mortality Review Project
703-776-6778 (Contact: Debby Byrne)

Mothers in Sympathy & Support: MISS Foundation
Internet support
1-623-979-1000, 1-623-979-1001 fax
PO Box 5333, Peoria, Arizona 85385-5333
www.missfoundation.org
www.misschildren.org
info@missfoundation.org
Northern Virginia/DC Area:
703-583-1503
Fairfax- Meets first Wednesday of every month
Prince William- Meets third Tuesday of every month
Katie 703-221-6945 or Tara 703-585-1503
www.dcmissfoundation.org
tara@missfoundation.org
Katie_inlow@missfoundation.org

Bereaved Parents Prince William
Support Group
Meets third Sunday of every month at 3:00 pm
Potomac Hospital, Hylton Education Center, Rm.A
2300 Opitz Blvd., Woodbridge, VA 22191
Contact Jodi Norman @ 814-266-0255 Bleachermom2000@aol.com
Or Gay Shelby @ 703-869-1363
shelbygay@comcast.net

SIDS Mid-Atlantic
Support Groups, Peer Counseling, Education and Training
PO Box 799 Haymarket VA 20168
703-955-6899
www.sidsma.org (downloadable bereavement info)
sidsma27@aol.com


Virginia SIDS Alliance www.vasids.org
Carolyn Walker 800-849-SIDS

Support Groups in Virginia:
• Richmond Area
Facilitated by Pat Franco, PhD, LPC
Memorial Regional Medical Center
8260 Atlee Road Richmond VA
804-627-5291

• Healing Voices
4th Tuesday of the month 6 to 7:30 pm
St Francis Medical Center , Bon Secours Health System

• Central Virginia
Facilitated by Tamy Forrest
2nd Tuesday of every month at Amedisys Home Health
Jetersville VA 434-294-2361

• Peninsula Area
Call Trudi Reynolds at 757-865-2561

• Charlottesville Area
“Empty Arms”
Maggie and Ken Thacker, 434-977-0415

“Compassionate Friends”
Margie Howell 434-974-9314 or
Ginny Smith 434-973-8844

• Fredericksburg

“Healing through Support”
Mary Washington Hospital, Fredericksburg, VA
Meets 4th Thursday of every month at 7 pm
Contact Tammy Ruiz at 540-741-3268

• Harrisonburg

“Healing Hearts”
Nancy Shomo 540-433-4427

• Williamsburg Area/ Newport
Meet as needed

St Martin’s Episcopal Church, Williamsburg
Contact Trudi Reynolds, 757-865-2561

• Tidewater
Meets last Thursday of every month from 7:30 to 9 pm
St Mark’s Catholic Church, Virginia Beach
Contact Terri Newman, 757-819-6169 or Carolyn Walker at 757-382-0584

• Southwest Virginia

RTS at Johnston Memorial Hospital in Abingdon
Phone 276-676-7115 or 276-676-4501
Wee Remember is a perinatal loss support group in Big Stone Gap, call 276-523-8641 or 276-328-8000, ex. 154.
Both offer grief support for pregnancy loss and for infant loss up to one year of age.

http://sids-network.org
An online resource for parents whose babies died from SIDS, with links to other infant loss programs
Sidsnet1@sids-network.org

The National SIDS Resource Center
1-866-866-7437 (8:30am – 5:00pm EST)
www.sidscenter.org

www.sidsfamilies.com


CJ Foundation for SIDS
www.cjsids.com

Center for Multicultural Human Services
703-533-3302
www.cmhsweb.org

Parents of Down Syndrome Support Group
703-989-1758

Latino Alliance for Bereavement Counseling
Individual and Group Support in Spanish
703-820-1026

Spina Bifida Association
4590 MacArthur Blvd. NW, Suite 250
Washington, DC 20007
202-944-3285, 1-800-621-3141
www.sbaa.org
sbaa@sbaa.org

Center for Pastoral Counseling
(sliding scale fees)
703-903-9696

www.parentsplace.com

Congenital Heart Information Network
215-627-4034
mb@tchin.org
www.tchin.org

The Shaken Baby Alliance
Online support group
1-877-end-sbs
www.shakenbaby.com
info@shakenbaby.com

Support Organization for Trisomies
(SOFT) http://www.trisomy.org/index.php


Center for Loss in Multiple Births
www.climb-support.org

www.Growthhouse.org

www.prematurity.org

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MIS-share4help

A Place to Remember
1-800-631-0973
www.aplacetoremember.com

Sidelines (for women on bed rest)
National High Risk Perinatal Support Network
1-888-447-4754
www.sidelines.org
sidelines@sidelines.org

Prematurity www.preemiestoday.org
Crossings: Caring for Our Own at Death
An alternative to funeral homes
301-523-3033
www.crossings.net
crossingcare@earthlink.net

Centering Corporation: Catalogs of Grief Resources
1-866-218-0101
www.centering.org

Memory Box Program
Marie Gemmil
Provide tole painted memory boxes for infant bereavement programs
Mgemmil@netadventure.com
mgemmil@allegiance.tv
www.memoryboxes.org

Funeral Consumer Alliance
Resources for information on state’s legislation regarding funerals
1-800-765-0107
www.funerals.org

Afghans for Angels
Blankets and burial outfits for hospitals
Maryland:
Toni Kimmel 301-498-9691
Box 805, Burtonsville, MD 20866
Afghans4angelsMD@angelic.com
Virginia:
Elizabeth Parsons 540-662-1861
PO Box 2634, Winchester, VA 22604
www.angelfire.com/va/afghans4angels2

International Stillbirth Alliance
1314 Bedford Ave., Suite 210
Baltimore, MD 21208
1-800-221-7437
info@stillbirthalliance.org
www.stillbirthalliance.org

SHARE
St. Joseph Health Center
300 First Capitol Drive
St. Charles, Missouri 63301-2893
1-(800)-821-6819 or (636) 947-6164
Fax: (636) 947-7486
www.nationalshareoffice.com
Email: share@nationalshareoffice.com


Bereaved Parents of USA, Anne Arundel County
Meets first Thursday of every month at 7:30 pm
Calvary United Methodist Church (Rowe Blvd) 410-544-3634 Ann O’Sullivan, coordinator

Anne Arundel Medical Center
Perinatal Loss Program
410-863-8391

The Connor Kirby Infant Memorial Foundation
c/o Adele Kirby
12 Irvin Drive
Shippensburg, PA 17257
Phone: (717) 530-0559
www.connorkirbymemorial.org

Depression after Delivery
1-800-944-4PPD (4773)
www.postpartum.net




Perinatal Depression Support Groups

Adrienne Griffen 703-243-2904 griffens@comcast.net

Benta Sims 703-536-9469 j-bsims@comcast.net

Michelle Clemovich 703-300-1436 mclemovich@yahoo.com

Natalie Griffin 703-858-8941 ndgriffin@verizon.net

Roanoke: Andy Matzner 540-819-0429 amatzner@mbc.edu

Washington DC Sara Masterson 202-352-8527 smasterson@perinatalproject.com

Finding Support

Support is essential to the grieving process. With the proper support system most people will successfully deal with their losses. Here are some web links to support resources.

Adult Sibling Grief.com - A support community for those who have suffered the loss of an adult sibling. Sections include memorials and tributes, message boards, and links to other grief information.

Adult-Parents Support Group - Grief support for people who have lost parents, or whose parents are in the process of dying.

Alive Alone - A support group for the education of bereaved parents, whose only child or all children are deceased.

The Angel Connection - For bereaved parents. Make friends, help others and perhaps help yourself along the endless journey of grief and learning to live again.

Angel Hugs for Bereaved Parents - Practical ideas and help for grieving parents. Holiday, birthday and anniversary help, message board and photo albums.

Angel on My Shoulder - For those who are widowed or who have lost their love to death, or for those who are in love with someone who is terminally ill. Message boards, forums. Chat room.

Arms of Love: A Fellowship for Grieving Moms - Christian online support group for moms who have suffered the death of a child; offers numerous resources for grief recovery, weekly online chats, password-protected bulletin board.

Baby Steps - A safe place for bereaved parents to share stories with others, find resources on the internet, and make contributions to children's charities.

Bereaved Parents - Support and resources for bereaved parents. Forum and chat room.

Bereavement UK - A support forum with special sections for like-minded people who are grieving, to share thoughts and give word of comfort, plus practical advice about bereavement.

The Bereavement Journey - A place where anyone who is grieving the loss of a loved one can receive support; includes chat, forums, links, after-death experience descriptions.

Bereavement Support Ministry - Inspiration and renewal for those grieving a loss. Spiritual support through prayer and a monthly bereavement support group.

Camp Hope for Grieving Children and Teenagers - A place in central Wisconsin where children and teenagers from throughout the state gather to work through the grieving process, after a loved one dies.

Center for Grief, Loss and Transition - A non-profit organization offering help and hope for those who have experienced a significant loss in their lives, located in Saint Paul, Minnesota USA.

Child Suicide - Support for families who have suffered the loss of a child to suicide. Resources on depression, suicide, healing and life after death.

The Compassionate Friends - A national self-help support organization, which assists families in the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child, and provides information to help others be supportive.

Counseling For Loss and Life Changes - Forum, articles, children's area, inspirational writings, personal accounts, and links to support groups and resources.

Ctangelbird - Message board/forum for spouses left behind by suicide.

Deeper Still - Offers religious support in words and music to help and comfort. Includes contact information.

Ellen's Angels: Share the Care - Provides education, support, and encouragement to friends and family of the terminally ill.

God's Tiny Angels Support Group - A non-profit Christian organization dedicated to providing support to families who have experienced the loss of a child through miscarriage, stillbirth, SIDS, ectopic or molar pregnancy, and infant death.

Grief Works - Local resources, information, and education about grief and loss in life, as well as numerous links. Located in
Montgomery County, Maryland, and serving the Washington, DC, metro area.

GriefShare: Grief Recovery Support Groups - Features resources to assist and encourage people grieving the death of a friend or family member, and includes database of more than 1200 listings of support groups.

GROWW: Grief Recovery Online - A members helping members support group offering chat rooms, message boards, library and resources for those having suffered the loss of a loved one.

Helping All Loved Ones Survive, Inc - HALOS is a nonprofit organization that provides information, emotional support, and referrals to surviving friends and family members of homicide victims.
In Memory Of - Honor loved ones on this board. Stories, poems, links to memorial sites or sharing feelings about loss. A candle will be lit in memory of the loved one.


PLEASE CLICK ON THE ABOVE TITLE FOR THE LINKS TO THESE SITES.

My personal Grief experiences

Throughout my life I have had experiences with grief and loss. I learned in my grief and loss class with Dr. Ruff that grief and loss can come in forms other than a loss of a loved one. Some of these losses include relocation, divorce, and the loss of a pet. I have have experienced all three types of loss. My parents split up at a young age, and at the time I couldn't understand it. I was so hurt because I just wanted my family to be together. I never blamed myself for the end of their relationship, but I always wished there was something I could do to help. As I got older, I realized that people grow a part and sometimes just because you love someone it doesn't mean you two are meant to be together. Talking to my parents, sister, and the rest of my family definitely helped me cope with the situation.

When I was 14 years old, my dog died. Most people wouldn't think this would be a big deal, but it was a devastating loss for me. My dog, who my sister and I so naively named him Ruff, had been a part of my family since i was two years old. I remember first getting him as a puppy and always having him around. He protected us, he played with us, and he loved us. Unfortunately, towards the end of middle school, Ruff's health began to decline. For reasons unknown to me, he developed a type of dog cancer (which I never knew existed). Eventually it became hard for him to do many things including walk, so as a family and with the doctor's recommendation, we decided to put him to sleep. It was the hardest thing for me to handle and I cried so much. Every time I came home after his death, I would expect to see him come running towards me, or the hear him bark, but it never happened. I still miss him to this day, but I know that he is in a better place.

My family has dealt with the pain of the death of a loved one many times. But most recently I have been trying to cope with the death of my great-grandmother. My great-grandmother or Nana as we called her, was 95 years old when she past away. She was so full of life and wisdom. Her health was declining and I became one of her caregivers. During this 5 year period, I grew to be so close with her. We would talk about love, life, my goals and ambitions. This past summer I got to spend a lot of time with her and truly enjoyed her spirit. She passed in October 2009 a week before her 96th birthday, and although it was hard for me to deal with, I know that it was her time; she was ready to go. I still think about her from time to time but as each day goes by it gets easier. The journal assignments in my grief and loss class definitely help. Learning about the different stages of grief and getting the proper support have also been a big help.

Grieving isn't easy, but time heals all wounds and can even sometimes make you feel better.

-Adrienne GLasgow

Is Grief Linked to Academics?

In 2006, a study done by a professor at Purdue University found that grief negatively impacted the academic performance of students. Results of the study concluded that all bereaved undergraduates had significantly lower grade-point averages than a comparative group of students.

The study was done using 227 Purdue students.

Heather Servaty-Seib, an Assistant Professor of Education, who conducted the study said these findings will be useful for universities as they consider how to help these students.

"College campuses can be difficult places to experience grief," she said. "It's important for faculty and staff to acknowledge the emotional and cognitive effect that experiencing a death loss has on students. With greater acknowledgement, students are likely to feel greater support, experience less isolation and, therefore, function more effectively."

For more information and to read the article please click the title.

Teen Suicide

Teen Suicide can be a result of unresolved grief and emotions.

Quoted from the Comfort your Heart website:

Suicide brings emotional devastation to children, grandchildren, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and friends of the victim. These survivors are not included in the teenage suicide statistics that are available to us.

• Teenage suicide statistics are a part of these numbers:

rates for ages 15-24 in the United States are 7.9 per 100,000.

• 31,000 suicides a year in the U.S., the 3rd leading cause of death in people 15 – 24 years old, and the 11th leading cause over all age groups[4].

• Worldwide, nearly a million people commit suicide every year, more than those murdered or killed in war.[1]

• Global annual teenage suicide statistics, reported for these fatalities could rise to 1.5 million by 2020.

Dealing with grief is very important to avoid depression or possible suicide..
Clink the above title for a link to the website.