Hospice of Chattanooga is joining the Haiti earthquake relief effort, offering a support group for those who lost loved ones in the natural disaster.

Thursday night, Hospice of Chattanooga’s bereavement counselors will hold a free grief therapy workshop on Southern Adventist University’s campus.  The purpose of the seminar is to help the local Haitian community cope with the tragic earthquake in their home country. 

It is estimated about 50 Haitian migrants reside in the town of Collegedale.  Most, if not all, have family and friends who lived near the 7.0 magnitude earthquake’s epicenter in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.  Many of their loved ones were killed and several more are still missing, two weeks after the initial earthquake.

“Watching the heartbreak in our home country from afar has been unimaginable,” said Barbara Valmont, a Haitian native, who contacted Hospice of Chattanooga’s bereavement services department.  “We trust the professionals at Hospice of Chattanooga to guide us in our loss.  It is too much to try and do on our own.”

Missionaries and others impacted by the tragedy in Haiti are also encouraged to attend the grief support group.  Valmont said she knows the loss is not limited to just her people.

At Thursday’s grief workshop, Hospice of Chattanooga’s bereavement counselors will work in both large and small groups.  They will discuss all the emotions associated with the tragedy in Haiti, in effort to help normalize the grief surrounding this loss.

“We feel privileged that the Haitian community is inviting us in to their lives at such an emotional time,” said Susan Latta.  “Our mission is to make sure everyone in the Tennessee Valley has access to grief counseling in their time of need, regardless of their ability to pay for those services.”

Hospice of Chattanooga’s bereavement counselors often lead grief management workshops in the workplace and at places of worship to help peers cope with a death.  These services are always free and provided by professional, experienced counselors who have Masters Degrees in counseling related fields.  For more information, contact Hospice of Chattanooga’s grief support services at 892-4289.

Hospice of Chattanooga was founded in 1981.  It is the largest not-for-profit hospice in this region, serving more than 550 patients each day.  Each year, Hospice of Chattanooga provides more than half a million dollars in unfunded care to families in both Tennessee and North Georgia.  For more information about Hospice of Chattanooga, visit www.hospiceofchattanooga.org.

WHAT: Grief Therapy Workshop For Haitian Community

WHEN: Thursday, January 28th

7:30 p.m.

WHERE: Collegedale Church on Southern Adventist University’s Campus

4829 College Drive East

Collegedale, TN