Dealing with the Loss of a Spouse? Join One of Our Free Bereavement Groups

Have you recently lost your spouse? Are you having difficulty coping with your loss?

If you recently lost your spouse, we welcome you to join one of our widow and widowers’ bereavement support groups. Designed for those 60 years and older, our groups are an encouraging place to share thoughts and feelings in a professionally facilitated setting.

“We give support to one another in a safe and non-judgmental place,” said Rivka Powers, MSW, Director of Bereavement Services for Goldsteins’ Rosenberg’s Raphael-Sacks. “Everyone feels comfortable to express themselves without being concerned about what people might think.”

Our bereavement groups meet over a twelve-week period and are a place for members to support one another to help ease the pain of losing a partner. Many of these people have been with their spouse for so long they don’t know how to live on their own, and that is a very real struggle. We work through real life problems and help them through their grief. On average, each group size runs with six to eight people who have lost a spouse within three to twelve months.

“With our groups, we start out with a lot of tears,” Ms. Powers said, a widow herself. “But with the support of the other participants and the new friendships that they develop, the journey to a ‘new normal’ soon begins.”

Ms. Powers is often in touch with the participants between sessions to see if they need extra support, and on many occasions, she has referred them for one-on-one bereavement counseling with a therapist to meet additional needs.

Another post-bereavement group has recently been formed for people grieving longer than one year. Registration for all our groups is required but there is no cost to participate.

We meet with widows and widowers all the time and it’s important you for you to understand that you are not alone. Sharing thoughts, feelings and support with others in a comfortable environment may help ease the pain, and we hope that our support groups help you on your healing journey.

Bereavement Group Registration:

Mondays: Beth Sholom Congregation 8231 Old York Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027 (Room 102)
Time: 1:00 – 2:30pm
Registration: (email preferred) rivkapowers55@gmail.com or call Stacey at 215-887-1342 ext. 109

Wednesdays: Congregations of Shaare Shamayim 9768 Verree Road, Philadelphia, PA 19115 (Library) Time: 1:00 – 2:30pm
Registration: (email preferred) rivkapowers55@gmail.com or call 215-677-1600

Post Bereavement Group Registration:

Wednesdays: Northeast Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) 8546 B Bustleton Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19152
Time: 3:00 – 4:30pm

Click here for more information on our grief support.