Grief support group up and running in the Silver Valley

KELLOGG — Losing a loved one can be the result of a multitude of different things, but no matter what the circumstances surrounding a death are — the one constant is pain.

Grief affects everyone differently; fortunately for the residents of the Silver Valley, they don’t have to go through it alone.

Hospice of North Idaho has created the Silver Valley Grief Support Group and began having monthly meetings in February, but the group is still hoping to reach as many people as possible.

Megan Dardis-Kunz, a social worker with Hospice of North Idaho, realized the need for such a group after an outpouring of positive feedback from local residents.

“There had been feedback at various community meetings and also residents who contacted Hospice of North Idaho asking if something could be offered in the Silver Valley,” Dardis-Kunz said. “Because of the need, we knew it was something that we should do to help the community in their grief.”

The meetings follow the guidelines laid out in Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt’s book “Grief One Day at a Time,” but the group doesn’t just follow a set curriculum.

“(After the reading) we then will talk about any issues related to grief that the group members are experiencing,” Dardis-Kunz said. “The group is led by the members, with me being the facilitator of discussion as needed.”

Dardis-Kunz has been a social worker for the past 11 years and has been with Hospice of North Idaho for the last six months, but her experience with grief is more than just professional and makes her more relatable to the attendees.

“I have gone through personal grief after the death of my father 10 years ago from colon cancer,” Dardis-Kunz said, “and because of this, can empathize with the feelings of loss with the group members.”

The group normally meets the second Wednesday of each month at Shoshone Medical Center (Silver Valley Chamber of Commerce building for April only) and is open to anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one (any age, gender, type of death i.e. suicide, accident, etc.).

For more information, or to sign up for the support group contact Megan Dardis-Kunz at 208-772-7994 or by email at dardis-kunzm@honi.org.