The Duke Personal Assistance Service (PAS) rolled out four new virtual support groups to provide support to University faculty and staff who are processing grief from the loss of a loved one, presenting an opportunity for them to “process uncomfortable emotions and discuss coping skills.”
The newly-offered support sessions — modeled after a support group held at Duke Raleigh Hospital — will serve a wider community of staff and faculty employed by the University and the Duke Health System. The groups are scheduled to meet 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. weekly beginning Wednesday through October 2.
“[We] realized that a lot of people at Duke Raleigh happened to be experiencing grief around the same time,” said Caryn Christiano, senior EAP counselor for the personal assistance service, speaking of the decision to create the original program. “Because we’re at a place right now where we can do more … that’s kind of why [the expansion] was then rolled out.”
Initially, PAS planned to offer one virtual support group, but an unanticipated spike in interest led to the creation of three more groups. Currently, 26 people remain on a waiting list to join a support group, all of whom are still able to contact PAS for immediate support individually.
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