We focus so much of what we do in EricsHouse on the concept of companioning that sometimes I think we underestimate its importance because of its simplicity. I believe companioning boils down to three basic declarations to one another:

I see you
I hear you
I am with you

‘I see you’ is a common greeting in many cultures. It’s such a simple statement, with deep connotations: I see your pain, I see you as you are, I see you struggling to survive. As a greeting it implies acceptance, awareness, and acknowledgement of a person’s worth.

‘I hear you’ is at the center of all we do. It is why our practice of active listening skills is so important. It is a fundamental validation of another’s grief: I hear your sadness, I hear how lost you feel, I hear your story, I hear your uncertainties – about the past, your ability to be in the present, and your hope for a meaning-filled future.

‘I am with you’ is a commitment of connection. Grief is so isolating, so lonely at times. Truly companioning someone is the embodiment of the declaration: ‘I am with you’. It implies that we are in community and much more: I will walk with you, not judge you, root for you, . . . care for you.

Our groups become micro-communities of peers in loss who are connected by our experiences and our support for one another. We search for healing, meaning, and purpose together.