Groups
Guiding Through Grief: A Yearlong Journey for Men Navigating Significant Loss
Every significant loss changes the map. The future we expected may no longer exist. Familiar landmarks disappear. The route forward becomes less clear. Whether the loss involves a spouse, parent, child, sibling, friend, marriage, career, health, or another significant life change, grief often leaves us asking the same questions:
Who am I now? What do I do next? How do I keep moving forward?
Guiding Through Grief is a yearlong cohort designed to help men regain their bearings after significant loss.
Competence After Disruption
As men, we spend our lives developing competence. We learn how to shoulder responsibility, make difficult decisions, solve problems, care for the people we love, and navigate the demands of everyday life. Then one day, life changes. The map no longer matches the terrain.
Guiding Through Grief is about regaining our bearings, learning to navigate wisely, and applying the strengths we already possess to the reality that now exists.
About the Group
Guiding Through Grief is a small, yearlong cohort for men navigating significant loss. This is not a drop-in support group. It is a committed year shared with the same group of men. Meeting together month after month allows trust to grow naturally and conversations to deepen over time.
Each monthly gathering provides space to slow down, think clearly, and have honest conversations with other men who understand what it means when life changes. There is no pressure to share more than you're ready to share. There is no homework. Life after significant loss is demanding enough. This cohort isn't another obligation. It's one afternoon each month set aside to regain your bearings before returning to the responsibilities waiting for you at home and at work.
Throughout the year, conversations may include:
- Loneliness and isolation
- Identity after loss
- Difficult dates and anniversaries
- Relationships and support systems
- Emotional and physical exhaustion
- Making wise decisions after loss
- Rebuilding daily life with intention
- Meaning, hope, and life beyond survival
The cohort is intentionally small, allowing trust to grow naturally and relationships to deepen throughout the year.
The Journey: Four Seasons
The journey unfolds in four seasons. Each one builds on the previous season, helping members regain their bearings and navigate life after significant loss with increasing confidence. Midway through the year, we’ll take a three-day, guided fly fishing trip to Western North Carolina. (No experience necessary.)
Naming the River
Understanding where we are, making sense of what has changed, and finding our footing before deciding what comes next.
Learning the Water
As members regain their bearings, we explore relationships, difficult decisions, identity, loneliness, and the realities of carrying responsibility while grieving.
Finding Current Again
After returning from our three-day, guided fly fishing trip we’ll discover new rhythms, renewed purpose, and increasing confidence in navigating life after significant loss.
New Water
Carrying loss with strength while continuing to build a meaningful life.
The Turning Point: Three-Day Guided Fly Fishing Trip
Some conversations are better held around a table. Others are better held while walking a trail or wading a river. Guiding Through Grief makes room for both. At the midpoint of the year, we’ll gather in the mountains of Western North Carolina for a three-day, all-inclusive guided fly fishing trip. No previous fly fishing experience is required. As both a licensed therapist and fly fishing guide, I'll lead the trip. Time on the river creates space for conversations that are difficult to have in the middle of everyday responsibilities. The trip marks the turning point between the second and third seasons. It is a chance to strengthen relationships within the cohort, reflect on what has changed, and return home with renewed clarity for the months ahead.
Participation Options
Members may choose from three participation options. Additional details are provided during the application and interview process.
Applications
Because the cohort is intentionally small, each prospective member completes an application and interview to help ensure a strong mutual fit. If you'd like to learn more or begin the application process, I'd love to hear from you. Please reach out through the Contact page.
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