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Quarterly Grief Support Group Listening to Divorce People going through divorce need to talk. People GROWING through divorce also listen. They listen to the past for insights into the dynamics and patterns in their lives that can lead to better relationships in the future. They listen to their thoughts and feelings so that they can be mindful in the process of grief and change. They listen to others who have faced similar challenges. They listen to experts who can suggest paths for healing. They listen to their dreams and hopes as they begin to create a new direction for life after divorce. Suicide Survivors: Let the Healing Begin is a program designed for family members and friends who have experienced this tragic loss. The eight-week support group meets weekly for a two-hour session. A monthly follow-up group is available to participants for two years. New groups are forming regularly and the group is closed to new members after the second meeting. For more information call Rev. Early Stage Alzheimer’s Support Group meets the first and third Thursdays of each month from 9:30 a.m. to noon. This support group, for those just beginning to learn to deal with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, lasts for 10 weeks and offers specialized information on Alzheimer’s. For more information contact Rev. Alzheimer’s Caregiver Support Group meets the first and third Thursday of each month from 10:00 a.m. to noon. Patient care is provided. Contact Frances Cooper at 817/446-4077. Recovering from Religious Abuse Religion is a powerful force for good in the world, but some people have had their religious experiences turn to trauma or abuse. More than any other institution, faith groups wield significant power in the emotional lives of participants and sometimes that power is abused. For some this involves betrayal, manipulation, deceit, fear and shame that have deeply affected their lives and their experience of trust. Through sharing our stories we can discover commonalities and insights into recovering from trauma. Join us on a journey of healing painful memories and find support for re-imagining life and faith! The group is free and open to the public. It meets the first three Tuesday nights in August. Register with Job Transition Support As many people are facing the challenge of unemployment or job transition we have chosen to offer two new groups for support and resources. Job search coaching and job loss support are both available. For more information contact Preparing for Marriage
meets for four weeks each quarter, on Sunday mornings at 9:30 or 11:00 for one hour. It is held during the first four Sundays of the months of February, May, August and November. Leaders are professionals within our church. The focus is to provide a basic understanding of ways to handle grief that are healthy and lead to healing.
offered this Fall Oct 19 - November 16
This five-week series focuses on understanding what happened in the relationship, healing from the traumas, and learning what we need to learn from the past so we can feel more ready to move into the future. Over the past five years participants have consistently evaluated this program as extremely helpful, and many have commented that the information and perspectives have helped them turn deep pain into a significant opportunity for personal growth. This series is free and open to the public. Donations are accepted to defray costs. It is offered twice a year beginning in February and October. Occasionally retreats are offered during the summer months. For more information, contact
Couples often spend thousands of dollars on their wedding but invest very little in their marriage. Premarital counseling is very important to couples who are making one of the biggest decisions of their lives. In the past few decades research into happy, healthy relationships has offered up valuable and often counter-intuitive insights that can help couples increase their intimacy and fulfillment in marriage. This workshop helps couples to quickly recognize and develop strategies for approaching issues in their relationship that may limit their satisfaction. In four weeks the participants in the Preparing for Marriage class will develop an understanding of the differences in each other's personality, and explore powerful means of enhancing the intimacy and satisfaction they desire for their lives together. Couples must pre-register as class size is limited. The cost is $160 per couple and includes the cost of all materials (the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Prepare instrument) as well as an individual session with
Enhanced Intimacy for Couples
Most couples find over time that conflicts emerge in their relationships that threaten to undermine the positive feelings that previously served to attract and bond them to each other. Unfortunately the way we deal with these conflicts most often creates even more division and becomes destructive to intimacy rather than creating avenues for deeper understanding. In this seminar couples learn important insights into each other’s worlds and create new practices for managing conflict that can increase the intimate bonds and enhance their capacity to navigate the fine line of personal growth and relational stability. This one-day seminar is offered on a Saturday morning in January and July. Child care is available. The cost is $20 per couple and includes handouts and refreshments. For more information, contact
What Babies Say Before They Can Talk
Successful parenting begins with successful communication. Unfortunately babies don’t arrive in our lives with a fully developed capacity to tell us what they think and feel. Even parents often struggle to do that! So how do we begin this communication journey? It is clear from research in the biology of emotion that babies are born with innate communication mechanisms called “affects.” These affects will play a powerful role in their experience throughout life, and how we respond to them will shape that experience. With a thorough understanding of the Affect System, parents can come to a much deeper awareness of what the child is experiencing and how best to respond. In our seminar, parents will learn about the nine affects, what is important in your own responses, how discipline shapes behavior and what form of discipline works best, how to manage sibling rivalry, what to do with an upset child, and how to create a home experience that will foster the healthiest development for your child. The seminar is offered on Tuesday evenings in April and September. Child care is available. $25 per couple covers books and resources. Led by
Healthy Parenting of Teens
Parenting teens is often a topic that elicits a great deal of angst from anyone who has ever been a teenager. We all know about how difficult these years can be for young people, including the challenge of shifting from dependency to independence, the critical adolescent culture, sexual discovery and important life decisions. It can be an exciting time of life for the whole family but it can also bring increased challenges to communication, stability and discipline. Take this seminar before problems emerge and you will find increased capacity to not only understand but manage the changes that come for every adolescent. Though every teen is different, there are some dynamics that deeply affect all of them. In this seminar you will learn about communication and conflict resolution tools that are more helpful than anything you are currently doing. You will practice using these. Learn why punitive and permissive approaches fail with adolescents and how an alternative approach can help you and your teen make these years a time of discovery and promise. The seminar is offered on the first Sunday afternoon of October and February. This seminar is offered at no charge and is open to the public. Register with