October 2024 Grief Support Group

Grief is a powerful force that "shatters our foundation and triggers a wholesale reorientation of meaning." This profound experience so often leaves us feeling isolated and invisible; however, grief can also invite us to deepen our connection to life and experience a greater sense of belonging. This five-week grief support group offers a compassionate space to share your experience with others and, together, navigate the complexities of loss. 

WHEN:  We will meet on the following Wednesdays from 12:30 to 2:00 PM: October 2, 9, 16, 23, and 30. 

WHERE: Samaritan Counseling Center of Atlanta in the Rooker Group Counseling Room (in-person)

COST: The cost is $100 and may be paid by credit card or check at the first session. Scholarships are available as needed. Group size is limited to 10. 

*Both group series will be led by Rev. Dr. Katie Sundermeier, the Executive Director of SCCA, and Anne-Marie Burke, LPC. We hope you will join us! 

TO REGISTER OR LEARN MORE:

Please contact Anne-Marie Burke at Amburke@samaritanatlanta.org or Katie Sundermeier at ksundermeier@samaritanatlanta.org if you are interested or would like more information. Or you can complete the contact form and a we will follow up with you. 

After Suicide

Bereavement associated with a suicide death is different than other deaths.  There are no easy or clear explanations for why suicide was seen as a choice. This group offers help in the aftermath of a loved one’s suicide death.  The group will convene  in mid-August for six Tuesdays, from 5:30 – 7:00 pm in the group room of the Samaritan Counseling Center of Atlanta (SCCA), housed in the community outreach building of First Presbyterian Church (FPC) of Atlanta.  It will be led by Rev. Dr. Katie Sundermeier, a pastor at FPC and Executive Director of SCCA, and Dr. Jack Rainer, a board-certified clinical psychologist and member of the Samaritan staff.

The group will use Rachel Zimmerman’s memoir of love and suicide Us, After (2024, SFWP Press, ISBN 9781951631352) as a guide to the following topics:

August 13             Welcome and calibrating vulnerability

August 20             Fear and loss

August 27             Loneliness

September 3          Vertigo

September 10        Loneliness

September 17        The new narrative and living into it

Group members are invited to read Us, After prior to beginning the group and to listen to the NPR interview with the author at

https://www.wbur.org/hereandnow/2024/06/24/memoir-us-after

Acknowledging the courage and trust required to be a member of such a group, participants are asked to commit to the six-week series.  The cost is $100 and may be paid by check at the first session, made to SCCA. Financial aid is available as needed.

Jack and Katie’s bios may be found on the counseling center website at www.samaritanatlanta.org.