Evaluation of Bereavement Support Groups

• In Event: Evaluation Methodology across Criminal Justice Programs

Abstract

Despite the fact that bereavement is a universal experience, how that grief is addressed by individuals can vary substantially. A bereavement support group, whether mixed or homogeneous, can provide assistance in processing one’s grief in a safe environment. Although some literature shows that participants report certain benefits – validation, a sense of normality, diminished feelings of loneliness – others fail to find significant improvement. Evaluations of support group interventions have a number of methodological limitations, particularly relating to participant selection, sample size, and sample homogeneity. This paper ends with a discussion of a homicide grief support group in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Author

• Cristina Pastia, Simon Fraser University