Torn pieces. In this issue. It s not forgetting that heals. It s remembering. Amy Greene SPRING Grief Support Groups 2.

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1 SPRING 2014 It s not forgetting that heals. It s remembering. Amy Greene Torn pieces Collage an art technique where the artwork is made from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. In this issue Grief Support Groups 2 Upcoming events 3 Events for kids and teens 4 Art project supports meaning-making 4 Pathways is the grief support newsletter of Providence Hospice of Seattle. We offer support to anyone in our community affected by the serious illness or death of someone in their lives. For more information, call or hundreds of years, humans have utilized the creative arts to better understand this instinctual response to loss we call grief. The materials used were often those most readily available a drum, the human voice, a splash of color on the wall of a cave. For us today, the creative arts can still help us make meaning as we face our loss, and we might not even need to leave our home to find the materials we need. Many years ago, I attended a day long workshop focused on utilizing collage as a means of better understanding how grief was at work in my life. The previous year had been a difficult one for me. I had experienced the deaths of multiple friends and family members, and I hoped that I would find in this room some relief from the ongoing internal ache that I experienced daily. And while I had a minor awareness of the therapeutic use of collage, if truth be told, I viewed it as a children s craft project utilized to keep children busy when adults had other things to do. Our instructor for the day moved to the front of the room and provided a simple history of collage as an art technique. She then called our attention to the tools continued on page 5 Design: Ailey Armstrong Editor: Jane Fleming

2 - 2 - Workshops, events, and groups for adults who have lost a significant person in their lives. All are free and open to the community. ADULT SUPPORT GROUPS (Ongoing) Newly Bereaved Support Group Grief support and education for people who have had a loss within the last 3 months. A drop-in, one-timeonly group. Registration not required. Second Saturday of each month 10:00 11:30 a.m. Information: This group is jointly offered by and Group Health Cooperative Hospice. Partner/Spouse Loss A monthly drop-in group for adults who have experienced the death of a spouse or partner in the past 15 months. Registration not required. First Saturday of each month 10:00 11:30 a.m. Emmanuel Episcopal Church th Ave SE, Mercer Island Information: The Mother's Tea Support for mothers of adult children (21 or older) who have died. Registration not required. Second Monday of each month 3:00 4:30 p.m. Information: A Broken Heart Still Beats Support for parents who have experienced the death of a child. Registration required. Information/registration: Letting Grow Support group for people with developmental disabilities grieving the death of a loved one. Call for information regarding next series Workshops, events, and support groups are held at, 425 Pontius Avenue North, Seattle except where noted. Some groups require registration. If you have questions or would like more information, please call ADULT SUPPORT GROUPS (Quarterly) Growing through Grief Six-week support group for adults coping with the death of a loved one. Registration required. Spring group (evening) Swedish Cancer Institute Thursdays, April 10 May 15 6:00 8:00 p.m. Spring group (daytime) Tuesdays, April 8 May 13 1:30 3:30 p.m. Summer group (evening) Swedish Cancer Institute Thursdays, July 10 August 14 6:00 8:00 p.m. Summer group (daytime) Tuesdays, July 8 August 12 1:30 3:30 p.m Information/registration (all groups): Ways to Remember Letting Poetry Express Your Grief A 5-week support group offering a focus on reading and writing poetry as a way of expressing one s grief. Registration required. Tuesdays, April :00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Information/registration:

3 - 3 - s grief support services are free and open to the community. For more information, please call offers a variety of opportunities for support and education regarding grief, loss, and life adjustments following the death of a significant person. Our purpose is to help individuals, families and communities identify their needs and strengths after a loss and offer a supportive presence for up to 15 months after that loss. Individual consultations are available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Honoring Our Mothers An event to celebrate and honor our mothers lives. Sunday, May 4, 2:00 p.m. Information: Teen/Parent Workshop Saturday, May 17 10:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. For teens ages 13 to 18 Concurrent sessions for teens and their parents/guardians who have experienced loss. Information/registration For information or to make an appointment, call: Adult counseling: or (main line; ask for Grief Support Services) Children and teen counseling: (main line; ask for Safe Crossings) Visit F amily day camps ART pizza FRIENDS Come together with other kids, teens and families for education, play and support in a fun setting. Pizza will be provided for lunch! fun! Wednesday, June 25 and July 23 These day camps provide offering for kids and teens who have experienced the loss of someone special. Wednesday, August 13 This day camp is specifically designed for kids and teens who have experienced the loss of a sibling. Games! All camps are from 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Locations to be announced. Space is limited. Call for information/registration:

4 - 4 - Grief support programs and services for children and teens throughout King County. Supporting your child: Family art project supports meaning-making Collage: A collection of images put together to form another image. The Safe Crossings Program uses a variety of activities to support self-expression and provide comfort for our families. One of our highlighted collage activities that relates to all ages is the making of a memory votive candle holder. This activity provides an invitation for remembrance, comfort, honoring and connection to loved ones. Collage is a lot like grief; the differing pieces of our thoughts and feelings contained within our hearts and minds when a loved one has died. Through the creation of collage votive candle holders, grief and healing unite into a treasure of one s own design. These creations can be used to help soothe at bedtime, to light in honor of special occasions, or to provide an everyday remembrance item, to name a few ideas. Below are items and steps needed in making your own collage votive candle holder. Items needed: Glass votive candle holder Battery operated votive candle Multi-colored tissue paper Cut Pieces of Paper (for writing words; names, etc.) Modge-Podge (modge-podge is made by mixing water with Elmer s glue) Paint Brush Permanent Markers Instructions: Cover table with paper or plastic table cloth Place votive holder on table Tear or cut various sizes of tissue paper that represents you and your loved one Write or draw words, names, memories with markers that remind you of your loved one Using paint brush dip brush into small amount of modge-podge Brush modge-podge onto votive holder Place tissue paper/paper words on votive holder Brush paper with top layer of modge-podge Set to dry Your creation is now your own, usable healing art. Jill Meyers, Safe Crossings Counselor CAMP ERIN CAMP ERIN CAMP ERIN CAMP ERIN CAMP ERIN CAMP Kids Camp Teens Camp CAMP ERIN (Age 6-12) September (Age 13-18) September Camp Erin -King County is a three-day overnight camp for kids and teens who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Two camps offered this year! Registration is required. For more information, please contact Chris Olson at , or by at christopher.olson@providence.org

5 - 5 - Torn pieces, continued from page 1 at hand stacks of magazines, scissors, Elmer s Glue and a blank piece of poster board that was positioned in front of each of us. We were simply to surrender to the images and words within the magazines, tear those out that reminded us of our grief, and then glue them in layers on the poster board. Don t worry about making art, she instructed, just express what you feel within you. Within minutes of her instruction the room was filled with the sound of paper being torn. As I began to leaf through the pages of the magazines images that I might not have noticed before began to almost leap from the page the puppet Howdy Dowdy, a monk s robe, a weeping eye, ancient bridges of stone, and photos of flowing water. I tore out words or phrases that spoke to both my pain and my hope for new meaning. Layer upon layer I pasted the images on the poster board and then sat in amazement at what the pain of my experience had created. And then, oh so gradually, those lessons became the foundation of how I was able to find new meaning in the world around me. Throughout the coming days and weeks of that year I often returned to that simple collage. Through glue, words, and the positioning of images, the torn pieces of magazine had come together to teach me. One part of the collage spoke the language of release, while another part spoke of possibilities ahead. And each time I returned to that original collage, there were new teachings that came into my awareness. And then, oh so gradually, those lessons became the foundation of how I was able to find new meaning in the world around me.. You too can experience the healing power of collage in working with your grief. The materials are simple magazines, glue, paper and scissors. These materials, united with a willingness to listen to the imagery of your heart, can provide new insights into your personal journey and the meaning you are gaining from it. I wish you well as you tear, cut and paste. And if you are especially brave, share your creation with others! - Rex Allen, Grief Support Services Manager

6 425 Pontius Ave. N., Suite 300 Seattle, WA NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID SEATTLE, WA PERMIT NO For updated grief event and group information, please visit To request removal from our mailing list, please call or Spring 2014 Providing a full range of bereavement services for adults and children Adult grief support Explore the possibilities for healing with Letting Poetry Express Your Grief. (Details on page 2) Grief support for children and teens Camp Erin two weekend camps offered! (Details on page 4) Check out information about counseling resources, upcoming support groups, events and more INSIDE...