[nagdu] Grief sessions in class

[Wayne Merritt]

I went to one of those classes, though it was referred to as more of a
transition class rather than greaving, I found it helpful though. It
was just me, two other students who were also retrains, and a staff
member. I was there for my second dog and the other students had used
a few dogs before that point. Though the staff member offered to meet
again the second week of class, none of us did. By that point, we had
fully moved into using and bonding with our respective dogs. Plus, she
said that though the offer is always made, not many students take her
up on successive meetings. I agree with something said earlier, that
it depends on the mood and experiences of the users and staff present
as to how the time will go and how you'll feel. My first dog died in a
more or less rapid fashion, like in about 90 minutes from when a
friend called me to when I was at the vet's office with him when they
administered the drug to put him to sleep. Outside of a few friends, I
had not expressed these series of events to many people, so I found it
helpful to recount it to other people, and I drew strength from the
other student's experiences. The greaving/transition classes
definitely have their places and I'm glad the schools offer them for
those that need/want them.

Wayne

On 10/13/09, Nicole B. Torcolini <ntorcolini at wavecable.com> wrote:
> You can cry... It's actually the name of a violin song.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf
> Of Cindy Ray
> Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 4:05 PM
> To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Grief sessions in class
>
> I like to think that I can go to them and be of help to others. Tears really
> don't hurt. They are a part of the grieving process. The classes had a
> cycle. People talked and wanted to meet again before the class was ove; by
> the middle of the following week they were over that. I wouldn't hesitate to
> not go or go, depending on how it struck me. I honestly don't remember if I
> went last year. LOL.
>
>
>
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