Help for Bereaved Parents

Should a family service agency sponsor a "support group" for bereaved parents, a group that is neither a therapy group nor a family life education class? Family Service Association of Orange County, Tustin, California, faced this question when a group of bereaved parents who had been meeting informally lost their volunteer leader and came to the agency seeking sponsorship. Because they had received so much help from participation in the group, these parents wanted to assure the continuity of such a group, even if a change in leadership might have to occur from time to time. They were also committed to the idea that the leader should be professionally trained in dealing with individuals under stress.