Hospital Offers New Grief Support Group Aimed At Families Impacted By Addiction

BERLIN – A new grief support group at Atlantic General Hospital (AGH) is expected to help those who have lost friends and family to addiction or overdose.

Beginning Dec. 16, the hospital will host its first grief support group, where individuals will be given a supportive and safe place to share their stories confidentially with those who have experienced a similar loss.

Gail Mansell, director of supportive care services at AGH and founder of the new support group, said she wanted to offer a resource for those who have lost a loved one to addiction or overdose.

“There are plenty of wonderful support groups throughout the county, but I don’t know if there’s anything that is actually like this,” she said.

Mansell said her attendance at monthly meetings of the Worcester County Warriors Against Opiate Addiction highlighted the need for emotional support.

“Every time I went I came back with a feeling of inadequacy and grief, loss,” she said, “all of those pangs you feel when you hear about this awful epidemic.”

Shortly thereafter, Mansell decided to launch a grief support group for community members who lost loved ones to addiction.

“I feel like we’re doing a lot of community work to eradicate and educate but what about the emotional effects of the people who have experienced it?” she said.

Mansell said the meetings will allow participants to share their stories, if they so choose, and receive peer support from other attendees.

“I do believe they need their voices to be heard in a safe space,” she said. “I don’t want them to feel alone.”

Mansell said she is also looking to network with other agencies in the county and utilize integrated therapies that could provide further support for participants.

“We want to be referral-based and connect folks to the people I know … that can be able to help them,” she said.

Mansell said the support group will meet one Saturday a month at the hospital. Time will also be set aside one hour prior to Worcester County Warriors meetings to those who need support.

“Losing someone you love is one of the most painful trials life can throw your way,” Mansell said. “Each person who goes through the grieving process does it in his or her unique way. Grief can take a serious toll, even on the most resilient individuals.”

The first meeting will take place in Conference Room #1 at AGH from 10-11:30 a.m. Reservations or sign-ins will not be required and refreshments will be available. Additional questions can be directed to Mansell at [email protected].

About The Author: Bethany Hooper

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Bethany Hooper has been with The Dispatch since 2016. She currently covers various general stories. Hooper graduated from Stephen Decatur High School in 2012 and the University of Maryland in 2016, where she completed double majors in journalism and economics.