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christian counseling today
Vol. 20 no. 4
Once these people attend and participate in a group, we repeatedly observe
that a transition takes place. The isolation begins to fade and a new
outlook emerges—“I realize I am not alone; there are others going through
this as well.”
I have come to understand that people who are in the middle of a
significant life crisis are so consumed by their emotions that their focus is
understandably inward, losing whatever relational perspective they once
had. Engaging with a group of people facing similar struggles helps lift part
of the “me-centric” focus and contributes to the healing process.
It is exciting to see this transformation at work. Barry, a DivorceCare
group member, said, “Even though I may be crying due to the pain I’m
going through, when I find out the person next to me is having as much
trouble as I am, or worse, I feel like I could possibly help [him].” H.
Norman Wright, grief therapist and certified trauma specialist, explained,
“What a difference it makes when you hear stories similar to your own,
when you hear that other individuals have the
same feelings, and you can sit there and say, ‘I’m
not going crazy.’”
This phenomenon demonstrates the syner-
gies that can occur when counseling and support
groups work in harmony. Clearly, there are many
types of support groups covering a gamut of
issues inside churches and throughout secular
society. The effectiveness of any particular group
depends on how the program is designed, so I
would like to describe the structure and strategy
we created for DivorceCare, GriefShare, and our
new Single & Parenting curricula.
Program Design
We designed these programs to be offered in the
context of a local church. The support groups are
Steve Gr i ssom
I
was confused and surprised. When we first introduced the DivorceCare and GriefShare
support group programs, we repeatedly heard new group members making statements
such as, “I feel like nobody knows what I’m going through.” Twenty years later, we still
hear that same refrain. How could this be? Death is universal and divorce is widespread.
Why do people believe that others cannot relate to the pain they feel?
Life
Crisis
Ministry
The Intersection
of Counseling
and Church-based
Support Groups
