As part of the holistic hospice philosophy, we offer a variety of groups & programs, at no cost for people living with a palliative illness, caregivers, and those grieving a loss.

To learn more please contact:
Supportive Care Administrative Assistant
admin.assistant@sjhospicelondon.com
Phone: 519-931-3474

Bereavement Support Groups

H.E.A.L. (Helping Each Other to Acknowledge, Accept, and Learn from Loss)

The HEAL support group assists to rebuild feelings of hope and alleviate suffering by

offering a safe, calm space for healing, and for reflection on the narrative of death and loss.

• Six weeks closed group; registration and group readiness evaluation required.

  Exploring Grief

  This program is loosely based on Dr. Alan Wolfelt's Six Needs of Mourning which explores

  the connection between tasks of mourning and creative experiences to facilitate the

  expression of grief, loss, and transition. Informative handouts, grounding exercises, activity

  outlines, and coping strategies are provided to add to the participants' understanding of

  the complexities of grief. Each session includes a creative activity such as mask-making,

  intuitive collage, or painting. Expressive-arts activities enable individuals to externalize

  their grief, honour relationships with loved ones, and connect meaningfully with others.

• This group takes place in-person at Hospice. Maximum of eight participants. Six weeks

  closed group, two hours per session; registration required.

  Practicing Self Compassion

  Practicing Self Compassion explores the importance of self-care and compassion for the

  mind, body, and heart to ease suffering and nurture self-resilience. When someone is

  grieving, they may find it difficult to recognize grief as stress and practice self-care which

  may adversely affect overall wellness physically and emotionally. The “Practice of Self-

  compassion” focuses on the importance of self-care and compassion for the body and the

  heart. Topics encourage taking care of the self physically, emotionally, cognitively,

  socially, and spiritually. Practicing self-compassion can assist to rebuild feelings of hope

  and alleviate suffering by offering a safe, calm space for healing, learning and self-

  reflection.

• Six weeks closed group; registration required.

  Mindfulness for the Bereaved

  This group explores the connection between mind, body, and breath. Mindfulness

  bereavement support is about helping recently bereaved individuals acknowledge the truth

  of the moment they are in, even (or especially) when that moment hurts. One of the

  greatest anxieties in grief is the fear of overwhelm—the sadness, the loneliness, the anger,

  the shame, the guilt (whatever the dominant emotions are) threaten to overwhelm us far

  beyond our capacity to cope. The fear is unfounded, but it arises, nonetheless. Grounded

  awareness can be an effective tool to combat this sense of pending overwhelm.

• Six weeks closed group; registration required.

  Understanding Your Grief

  Based on Dr. Alan Wolfelt’s book of the same name, this group aims to inform and support

  grievers. Each month, this psychoeducational group explores one of Dr. Wolfelt’s

  Touchstones and a different topic related to grief. Participants are welcome to attend as

  few or as many sessions as they wish.

• This is an online group, hosted on Zoom. Monthly drop-in group. One-time registration is

  required.

Wellness Programs

(Offered to Bereaved and Caregiver Clients)

Step by Step

This gentle walking group is designed to help you reconnect with the beauty of our

neighbourhood, while enjoying the company of others.

We walk (excluding statutory holidays) Rain or Shine.

• Open group, come as you please. Open to bereaved and caregiver clients.

  Connected Through Cooking

  This monthly cooking group provides the bereaved and caregivers with an opportunity to

  learn cooking skills and connect with other clients who may be going through a similar

  experience. Due to the popularity of this program and space constraints, participants are

  limited to taking the group 4 times per year. This group takes place in-person, at our Bistro.

• Monthly group, monthly registration is required. Open to bereaved and caregiver clients.

  Meditation

  Join us for a relaxing hour of guided meditation led by one of our experienced volunteers.

  No previous meditation experience is required, only an open mind and willingness to try.

• Weekly group. This group is open to everyone, clients, caregivers, residents, and

  volunteers.

  Men’s Coffee Club

  The Men’s Coffee Club is an informal, bi-weekly group where participants can meet and

  chat over light refreshments. This group gives men the opportunity to connect in a relaxed

  and supportive setting.

• Five-week closed group; registration required.