Men Grieve Too: A LOSS initiative for Central Ohio

LOSS Community Services was started by a mother who lost her 19-year old son to suicide. As she slowly learned how to integrate the loss of her son into her life and watched her son’s friends cope with the loss, she realized there was little support for any of them. There were a few monthly support groups and a handful of counselors with specific skills in traumatic grief, but for the most part they had to cope on their own. Often suicide loss is not talked about and the survivors can feel isolated in their grief. Seeking support for a historically stigmatized death is difficult and especially so for men.

While just as many men are impacted by a suicide loss as women, LOSS CS has had far more women participate in ongoing support programs. We know men grieve too. We want to provide resources and support that will be more appropriate and interesting for men. And we want men to hear from other men who are learning how to move forward.

On the first night of a recent support group a bereaved Mom introduced herself then looked to her husband to introduce himself. All he said was, "My name is _______ and I'm here to support her (insert finger pointing at his wife here)." This same bereaved Dad was fully engaged in support group by the third week. He also attended our annual Butterfly Release event without his wife who was traveling. To go from "I'm here to support her" to fully engaging in his own grief over the loss of his child was a privilege to witness. 

We set a goal to raise $10,000 that will be spent on equipping four men who have been impacted by a suicide loss. They will receive a 4-day training from Dr. Alan Wolfelt at the Center for Loss and Life Transition. Dr. Wolfelt believes in coming alongside the bereaved, not "treating" them but journeying with them. These four men will then - with LOSS's support - host two events and one workshop in 2021 that are specifically for men who are grieving the suicide loss of someone special. In 2022 we will host at least three events and two workshops specifically for men. The events and take-home resources provided will be free.

Thank you for visiting our A Community Thrives fundraising page and supporting this important Men Grieve Too initiative!