For some, grief can feel overwhelming as the holidays approach. On-campus resources can help students navigate the complex journey of losing a loved one.
Inspired by the grief holidays often bring up, Associate Director of Counseling Isabella Vickers set out to create a time for students to come together during these difficult times.
On Dec. 9 at 5 p.m. in the upper floor of Orrico Hall, the Health and Counseling Center (HCC) is holding a grief group to provide additional support in preparation for the holidays.
Everyone experiences grief differently, so meetings will consider what each individual needs. Vickers recommends attending because grief may feel lonely, but peers who understand loss can bring comfort.
“I hope that students will think of the counseling center as a place to go to get support,” Vickers said. “You don’t have to suffer alone.”
In addition to the grief support group, the HCC provides coping mechanisms and counseling practices. While more centered around one-on-one sessions, they adapt to what they are seeing within the community, according to Vickers.
Other campus grief resources include Corrado Hall’s grief group. Every other Monday at 8 p.m., Hall Director Lexi Totten leads a grief group in her apartment in Corrado Hall. The upcoming meeting will be held on Dec. 8 at 8 p.m.
While located in Corrado, this grief group is available to all students who are seeking support, regardless of their residence.
Totten says group conversations vary each meeting depending on the individualized needs of those who attend. Whether you attend for the community or are seeking guidance, this grief group provides support in an intimate dorm setting.
The group was created for students to connect with other people who understand how grief can be inexplicable, according to Totten.
“The purpose of our group is to meet with other people who are navigating through what grief and loss look like in the context of being a college student,” Totten said, “I hope [students] use this as an outlet [to connect] with other people who can relate.”
Totten, whose mother died two weeks before Totten started her first year at UP, had people around her who cared, but she struggled to find people who could relate.
In the next few years, Totten made friends who had also lost their mothers, and they worked through their grief together.
This shared experience with peers inspired Totten to form a space for students to be vulnerable when talking about their grief journeys.
While Corrado Hall’s grief group provides students with peer support, Campus Ministry provides support for grief through personalized conversation, according to Director of Campus Ministry Fr. Timothy Weed, CSC.
“A lot of our grief work comes through individual pastoral counseling or conversations as grief patterns are unpredictable," Weed said. “A lot of times folks are just looking for someone to process with.”
He assures that Campus Ministry staff are here to provide a listening ear to anyone, no matter the religion they follow.
Details on how to connect with Campus Ministry staff can be found here.
Darcy Boss is a news reporter at The Beacon. She can be reached at boss29@up.edu.
