ABS l'Escala will launch this April Haddad group led by Sylvia Mayaspsychologist and RBEC (Community Emotional Care Officer) from LABS La ScalaI Fanny Jimeneza psycho-oncologist at the institution Oncoleja Girona. Eight bi-monthly sessions are scheduled to be held at the business incubator at La Scala. Registration is free. The first blacksmith group in the region was organized jointly by Emporda Health Foundation that day Oncoleja Girona Foundation. The professionals who are at the forefront point out the importance of giving tools and strategies in dealing with the loss of a loved one.
Community emotional well-being is a priority for ABS l'Escala
Does creating a bereavement group at La Scala respond to a request, need or gap that existed?
We can say that it was part of everything, but above all the fact that as psychologists, after years of accompanying people in vulnerable situations, we are aware of many needs that our patients may have. They taught us that sometimes, sharing experiences with people who have gone through a process similar to yours, makes you feel more understood and accompanied psychologically and emotionally. However, this has been a need that we have also shared for some time with Esther Patlory, the psychologist at PSP who provides individual attention to CAP.
Who are the professionals at the top of the pack?
We are Fanny Jiménez, Oncolliga Psychiatrist working in the Empordá region and we support cancer patients and their families during the disease process and we support them in the mourning processes, both in health centers and in counseling and also at home and Sylvia Meas is a reference psychologist in emotional well-being and community health at ABS de l'Escala.
What are the goals? How do people access the group?
The main goal is to provide emotional support and psychological accompaniment to anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one, in a collective way. Another goal is to provide knowledge about the grieving process and the possible stages we can go through. In addition to giving tools and strategies so that a person can live this moment in the best way possible. Anyone who has suffered the loss of a loved one in the past year, whether through accidental death or death due to illness, can participate. To access the group, simply mention it to CAP, speak to your GP, nurse, or directly to one of us. We will contact them for a first informational visit and if the profile fits, they can actually be part of the group.
We have taught our patients that sharing experiences with people who have gone through a process similar to yours makes you feel more understood and accompanied psychologically and emotionally.”
Silvia Mias and Fanny Jimenez. Psychiatrist and psycho-oncologist
What work dynamic do you suggest during the sessions?
The main idea is to be able to hold fortnightly sessions of one and a half hours each. Each session will focus on a different stage or moment of the grief process. Participants can share all the information they want during the session. Each person experiences this process differently. Each path of mourning is unique, as is the relationship we had with the person who died and who will always be a part of us.
Will it continue over time?
We can say that this bereavement group is the first bereavement group held in the Escala region and is jointly organized by Fundació Salut Empordà and Fundació Oncolliga Girona. We hope the results will be positive and favorable, and hopefully the first of many. The proposal consists of eight sessions, lasting approximately three months.
In recent years, bereavement groups have proliferated. How do you evaluate this development in the treatment of death and grief?
These groups have spread in recent years because the demand for psychological support and the need to receive emotional support when we are going through an adaptation process has become more apparent. The personality of the psychiatrist has become normalized and the population is increasingly open to sharing their feelings, concerns and experiences with the aim of being able to live them in the healthiest way possible. The group helps relieve the feelings of isolation and loneliness that often accompany bereavement by providing emotional and social support. It is no surprise that bereavement groups are a priority in the functional plan introduced this year from the Department of Health's Emotional Wellbeing and Community Health programme.
What other steps should be taken?
Spread it, let them know it exists. It's important that bereaved people have access to a variety of support options, including individual therapy, online support groups, support from family and friends…and more so everyone can choose the type of support they feel most comfortable with.
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