10-Week MAiD Grief Support Groups
​Bridge C-14's 10-Week Grief Support Groups are dedicated to bringing individuals together through peer-to-peer conversations focused on building community with those who have lived experience.
Our goal is to provide a safe, caring, and supportive environment, where people can heal and recover from the loss of a loved one when they choose a medically assisted death.
ONLINE 10-WEEK GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS
Our 10-week grief support groups are a structured approach to collectively working through the grief following the loss of someone who chose MAiD.
​
Groups are offered 'seasonally'. They are facilitated over a 10-week period on Zoom and each session is 90 minutes long. These groups require registration in advance and are currently offered for individuals who have experienced a MAiD death (any relationship, spouse + parent and/or grandparent).
Participant feedback collected in 2022 showed that 94% of participants reported feeling less isolated and would recommend the group to someone else, 91% of participants reported feeling better able to cope on a daily basis, and 87% of participants reported feeling more aware of their inner strengths and ways of coping.
​
Considerations:
-
These groups are best suited to those who are at least two months past the MAiD event
-
We recommend attending one or two drop-in sessions in advance of the 10-week group
​
Phase 1 Groups:
The Phase 1 group supports individuals in beginning to navigate their grief following a MAiD loss. Through guided readings, reflection questions/activities and group discussion, participants explore grief concepts, identify barriers and challenges faced by the bereaved, find acceptance and normalization in their experience with assisted dying, and share openly with peers who can relate to the uniqueness of a MAiD death.
Phase 2 Groups:
The Phase 2 group, introduced in Spring 2023, builds off of the material covered in the Phase 1 group to help individuals explore more deeply into their loss and grief as it relates to MAiD and challenge them to reflect on their experience in unexpected ways. Participants are guided through reflections on feelings and behaviours, coping methods and supports, ways to build meaning again, dealing with unresolved aspects of the death, and building new relationships. The goal is to bring participants to a new place in their grief experience where they have the opportunity to write their own story and redefine who they are as a person.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR THESE UPCOMING
VIRTUAL 10-WEEK MAiD GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS:
​
Individuals Grieving a MAiD Loss (Phase 1 - Open):
Tuesdays from 3-4:30pm PT | 6-7:30pm ET
April 23 to June 25
​
​
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED FOR THESE UPCOMING
VIRTUAL 10-WEEK MAiD GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS:
​
Individuals Grieving a MAiD Loss of a Spouse (Phase 1):
Wednesdays from 4-5:30pm PT | 7-8:30pm ET
April 24 to June 26
​
​
To learn more about registering for one of our 10-week support groups, please sign up below.
​
OTHER MAiD GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS
ALLISTON + SOUTH SIMCOE, ONTARIO
​
Bridge C-14 has partnered with Matthews House Hospice to offer a MAiD Family Meetup.
​
Please contact Megan Rochford (mrochford@matthewshousehospice.ca) or Eryn Manchanda (emanchanda@matthewshousehospice.ca) for more information. They can also be reached by phone at 705-435-7218.
​
​
​
STRATFORD, ONTARIO
​
Bridge C-14 has partnered with Kari Gray, RPN to host a grief and bereavement support group.
Please visit www.karilynngrayrpn.com/ for more information.
​
VANCOUVER ISLAND
​
Bridge C-14 support groups are available on Vancouver Island.
​
Please contact northislandbridgec14@gmail.com for more information.
​
​
​
WATERLOO WELLINGTON LHIN (GUELPH, ONTARIO)
​
Bridge C-14 has recently partnered with the Waterloo Wellington LHIN. This organization is currently offering Zoom virtual meetings until COVID restrictions are lifted. The group is offered the 4th Monday of each month from 7:00-8:30pm.
For more information on the group please email maidpeergroup.ww@lhins.on.ca or contact by phone at 310-2222 (no area code required).