Finding Your Way Through the Wilderness of Grief: Virtual Men’s Support Group

Pre-registration is required! To see if this is the right group for you please contact Greg at [email protected] or 480-734-3423. 

Loss of a loved one is devastating. It can drive us into isolation.  It defies all the cultural norms we (especially men) subject ourselves to – don’t cry, man up, move on . . . but it’s not that easy.   While the pain of our losses may never lessen, it is possible for us to find purpose and meaning in a new version of our lives – to grow around and through our grief.

Growth means:

• Encountering pain
• Embracing change
• Exploring our assumptions about life
• Finding a new inner balance with no end points

EricsHouse is offering a new Men’s Group, starting Tuesday, August 16 – October 11. We will meet weekly from 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM AZ time. This group is be open to all losses (all relationships) to all self-harm causes (suicide, alcohol, and overdose).

The group is specifically for Men ready to explore their personal grief journey.  We will base our conversation around the 4th, 5th, & 6th Needs of Mourners as defined by Dr. Alan Wolfelt (Develop a New Self Identity, Search for Meaning, and Receive [and Give] Ongoing Support from Others).  We will identify new, individual goals free from the self-imposed limitations of our lives before our losses and support one another in attaining them.  

 Men’s Group structure:

• Closed group (membership is fixed at the first meeting, limited duration [9 weeks])
• Lead facilitator – Greg Eckerman; Co-facilitator – Ken Slesarik
• 12 members, max (including the facilitators)
  • 9 meetings, once per week:  8/16, 8/23, 8/30, 9/6, 9/13, 9/20, 9/27, 10/4, 10/11
• Focus on identifying personal growth goals; assessing where we are in our grief journeys and what our most significant individual needs are; and committing to initial steps to get from where we are to where we hope to be

Meetings will be virtual!  There is a $45 fee to cover the cost of materials. Scholarships are available. If you have any questions, contact Greg at [email protected] or [email protected].

Greg lost his stepson, Eric, to suicide in February, 2016.  He is a co-founder of EricsHouse, has facilitated or co-facilitated all EricsHouse Men’s Groups, and is an EricsHouse Grief Companion.

Ken lost his son, Kenny, to an accidental fentanyl overdose in December, 2019.  He is a Special Needs Teacher, children’s poet and author, and an Associate Grief Specialist at EricsHouse.