Our Parenting Living Children Through Loss groups are for those with living children either before or after loss. There are two group options to choose from: Parenting Living Children Through Loss and Parenting a Baby After Loss group.
Parenting Living Children Through Loss
This is a casual peer support group that provides a space to honour and carry our children who are not with us, while also managing the responsibilities of parenting living children. We recognize that parenting living children after loss comes with unique challenges and questions and this group holds space to openly discuss these.
**formerly called “grieving with living children”
Parenting a Baby After Loss
This 6-week group is a peer support group that is about honouring the joy and grief of parenting a living baby after loss. You will gain tools to address the unique anxiety, worries, disconnection, and fears with your new baby.
**formerly called “parent & baby”
Who is this group for? This group is for any parent who has welcomed a new baby after a previous loss. Babes (0-24 months) in arms are welcome.
FAQ
What to expect at a PILSC peer support group
A hybrid group is a peer support group that gives you the option of attending in person at the PILSC office in downtown Calgary or attending virtually on Zoom for those living outside of Calgary and for anyone who prefers to attend virtually.
Your hybrid group will have a designated facilitator for those who attend in person and the second facilitator will be supporting the group on Zoom. We have technology called Meeting Owl that allows for a seamless interaction experience between those attending in person and those who attend virtually.
(PILSC hybrid group using Meeting Owl technology with in-person and virtual attendees)
To see a video of a Hybrid group, see this video
For our 8 Week Groups, we require that all participants attend either the first or second session and as many sessions as possible to allow for a safe and consistent group environment. That being said, life happens and let us know if you are unable to attend a session by emailing info@pilsc.org.
As with all of our services at PILSC, we believe in the importance of removing barriers to accessing services. All of our groups are offered at no cost to participants. For those who have the means and ability to help support the centre and our groups programming, we graciously accept donations: https://pilsc.org/donate-to-pilsc
All of our online groups are open for anyone to attend anywhere in the world. Our groups that meet in person will always have a hybrid option so you can always attend any group virtually, regardless of your physical location.
You will receive a confirmation email from the Jane booking system and the day before your group you will receive an email welcoming you to your group. For 8 week groups, there are forms to fill out in the Jane booking system so please fill those out as we require your mailing information to send you materials for your group.
Yes, you are welcome to attend a group more than once. Every time you attend will be different because so much is determined by the people in a group with you. We also have various monthly groups that you can try after an 8-week group to meet others who have experienced.
We are dedicated to supporting individuals of all faiths, ethnicities, sexual orientations, and gender identities. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that we live, work and play on the traditional territories of the Blackfoot Confederacy (Siksika, Kainai, Piikani), the Tsuut’ina, the Îyâxe Nakoda Nations, the Métis Nation (Region 3), and all people who make their homes in the Treaty 7 region of Southern Alberta.