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1 (855) 894-5658
February 2021
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ERICSHOUSE
February Newsletter
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"Those we love don't go away, they walk beside us every day. Unheard but always near still loved still missed and very dear."
-Unknown
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Dear EricsHouse Community,
Welcome to February! A month that symbolizes both love and purification. February comes from the Latin word februa, which means "to cleanse." This month may be challenging for some of us as we don't have our loved ones here to embrace and love. Yet, we have to remember that love extends beyond physicality and is a bond that cannot be broken by time or space. I encourage you to use these three powerful words this month "I Love You", whether you whisper it to the wind or tell the person right next to you. The depth of love, whether near or far, doesn't differentiate.
-EricsHouse
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We are launching a series of new support groups beginning in March.
Click on:
Please helps us reach people who are in need of support.
or feel free to share our newsletter with them!
More detail below.
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IN THIS ISSUE
Message from EricsHouse Founder, Marianne Gouveia
Remembering Eric Gruler
New Board Member ANNOUNCEMENT
Virtual 9th Annual RENEWING LIVES Breakfast
The Legend of St. Valentine
Volunteer Opportunity
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A Letter From Our Founder - Marianne Gouveia |
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The Healing Power of
Support Groups
Dear EricsHouse Community,
Happy February! We are excited to announce a new round of support groups for 2021. If you have experienced a loss, you may wonder if a support group is right for you.
After my son Eric died, I was desperate to find help. I did everything I could – counseling, spiritual direction, retreats, grief workshops, medium-hopping – anything that I thought would take even the smallest amount of pain away from my broken heart. I remember my counselor telling me, "you need an army," and boy was she right! During my weeks of counseling and EMDR sessions, I attended a few different support groups.
One group was at my church. While it was a wonderful group, losing a child to suicide just didn't fit in with various other grief causes. Suicide is complex. It is hard enough for survivors of suicide loss, but someone who has not been exposed to suicide or a loved one with mental health challenges is unlikely to understand. I went a few times, but then I realized that my presence made most group members uncomfortable. So, I quit.
I found another group – an open reputable group in my local area. Open groups change from meeting to meeting and run for an indefinite period. This open group was focused exclusively on suicide, and the facilitators were all very compassionate and caring. I went several times, but I needed some consistency with group members -- a community of people who could relate to my loss circumstances and build relationships over time. And even though this group was structured as an open group – I was not open to sharing my innermost pains and sorrows with strangers repeatedly.
At EricsHouse, we organize CLOSED groups by both the type of loss and the lost relationship's nature. Closed groups have a specific focus, consistent membership, and meet for a fixed number of sessions.
We feel that grouping by loss type and lost relationship enables the group to form tighter bonds, establish trust, and support one another more effectively.
For example, losing a child to suicide is different than losing a spouse to suicide or suddenly losing a child. Similarly, people newly bereaved are often uncomfortable in a group whose members are 3-4 years out. Those farther along within the grief journey have learned that laughter is essential to healing, but in my early months of mourning my son, I could barely breathe, let alone laugh.
A good support group has members that share common ground. The group facilitators at EricsHouse are loss survivors and are trained specifically in group facilitation. When our members face such dramatic life-altering changes, it is vital to be with people who understand the journey and provide comfort, insights, and lessons from their journeys.
Group members are screened to be sure the group is the right fit for them. The group must be able to work together as a unit to share experiences and loss lessons. This helps to combat the stress, anxiety, isolation, and depression that many loss survivors experience.
It also helps to maintain social contact with people who understand. Most importantly, it helps to develop a community of friends when many previous friendships fall away. It allows the survivor to understand that they are not alone in their experience.
We have many different support groups organized to support our clients no matter where they are in their journey of loss:
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Understanding Your Grief: Focuses on some of the needs of mourning and are designed to help you sort through the myriad of chaos and confusion that often accompanies a traumatic loss, especially during the first year. This group helps you move through the year of firsts.
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Growing Through Grief: This is like support group 2.0. It focuses on exploring living a life with meaning and purpose, receiving and giving support to others, exploring the journey after a few years have passed.
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Transforming Your Grief: Loss survivors and life coaches lead this group to help people self-discover life after loss, write the next chapter in their lives, and explore ways in which we turn tragedy into good for others.
We have groups organized for both men and women for substance loss, suicide loss, and other sudden losses. As grievers, we face tough challenges. While it's possible that we could get through significant loss on our own, it's challenging to do it alone. The odds of success go way up with good support. Whether you've lost a child, sibling, parent, or friend, our groups create a safe space where you can risk sharing what hurts most in the presence of others who have their own deeply personal experiences of loss – who will not judge you, presume to 'fix' you, invade you, or abandon you.
One of our group members had this to say . . .
"EricsHouse Suicide Loss for Women's group has been a lifesaver. I was able to intentionally and purposefully start my mourning journey for the loss of my three brothers, who completed suicide. I recently lost my parents as well. Needless to say, I have layers of complicated grief to mourn and work through. The women in this support group held a safe space for me to work through my thoughts of feeling crazy and alone. Meeting each week gave me the strength and courage to enter the wilderness of grief, knowing I had women that understood what I was going through. Having a supportive place without judgment or criticism made all the difference. I was able to go through the first holidays without my entire family, with supportive women holding me up along the way. I have advanced through my mourning in a way that allows me to companion others through their loss of loved ones. No one wants to be a member of this group, but when you are, this is the place to land, to heal, and to learn how to mourn through the many stages of grief. I am so blessed to have walked this journey with such an amazing tribe of women warriors. We not only survive, we carry each other with compassion and love and strength to get through the "firsts", the birthdays, angel anniversaries, and special days that will forever be transformed into different ways of celebrating with our loved ones in Heaven.
I am forever grateful to you all." -- RA
If you are interested in learning more about one of the support groups at EricsHouse, please give us a call or email to my personal account marianne@ericshouse.org.
With gratitude and love,
Marianne Gouveia,
Founder, Board Chairman
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Remembering Eric Gruler at
his 5-Year Anniversary
August 8, 1988- February 27, 2016
We keep you in our hearts till we can hold you in our arms once again.
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To us his name will ever be,
The key that unlocks memory,
Of a dear Son gone, but cherished yet,
A beloved face, we'll never forget.
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Know More About Eric:
- His favorite song is "Warmness on the Soul" by Avenged Sevenfold.
- His favorite food was Spicy Chinese Chicken.
- He loved adrenaline sports.
- We will always remember Eric by the immense LOVE of family.
- He had a beautiful smile, a big belly laugh, and a passionate heart to protect those who could not defend themselves, like his wonderful brother Joey.
- And he had great admiration for his big brother and role model Robby.
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*** NEW VIRTUAL SUPPORT GROUPS FOR 2021 *** |
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EricsHouse is happy to announce the addition of several new grief groups in expanded categories for Spring 2021. Our highly trained grief specialists will create a safe environment for participants to share their losses and learn how to move forward in their lives. Please join us or share with anyone you know who is grieving.
- Women's Suicide Support Group
- Substance Loss Support Group
- Sudden Loss Support Group
- COVID Loss Support Group
A Men's Group will run for 8 weeks and will begin on March 16.
Women's Support Group for Loss of Spouse will run for 9 weeks and will begin on February 9.
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New Board Member ANNOUNCEMENT
WELCOME SANJEEV JAVIA
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CEO of PRoZE CBD Products
Judi's House Board Member
The vision of Judi's House is a community in which no child has to feel alone in grief. Our mission is to help children and families grieving the death of a loved one find hope and healing within themselves. At Judi's House, an environment of acceptance and understanding allows children and adults in peer support groups to share the experience of loss with others. Judi's House increases awareness and knowledge of grieving children's needs by extending grief support services to schools, faith-based groups, hospices, and other caregivers in the community.
Academic & Professional Achievements
Sanjeev Javia has an undergraduate degree from the University Of Michigan in Biology and Biopsychology and a graduate degree in Business Administration from the Thunderbird School of Global Management. In addition to these academic certifications, he frequently attends educational courses focusing on dietary supplement formulation, sales and marketing strategy development, and corporate development at Harvard University, Arizona State University, Thunderbird School of Global Management, and Southwest School of Naturopathic Medicine. He has also completed his Aromatherapy, the medicinal use of essential oils, training at the Applied Aromatic Institute.
Sanjeev began his nutritional and wellness career by becoming a partner at XELR8 Inc, a healthy supplement company founded in Denver. The original business model was to develop a premier line of dietary supplements exclusive to professional athletes and medical professionals. Sanjeev was responsible for all research and development of products and athlete acquisition. He developed 21 products at XELR8, including energy and hydration drinks, protein powders, and an entire line of vitamins and minerals. XERL8 had 800 professional and Olympic athletes using their products, and they were in at least 28% of the professional sports teams' training and recovery rooms. XELR8 grew and then branched out from professional athletes and sold their products to retail channels such as GNC, High Health, BodyBuilding.com, Vitamin Cottage, and network marketing channels.
After the sale of XERL8, Sanjeev was asked to develop a Nutrition Science Center for the prestigious sports medicine and orthopedic group, Steadman Hawkins Clinic, in Greenville, South Carolina. The center was part of the Musculoskeletal Health and Wellness Institute at the Greenville Hospital System. At the Greenville Hospital System, Sanjeev assembled a team of nutritionists and performance coaches to compliment their 32 sports medicine orthopedic surgeons and 45 physical therapists. He researched the areas of Diabetes, Obesity, Autoimmune Diseases, and Neurological disorders. In addition to his research, he further developed and headed the go-to-market strategy as President of SpeedFlex Training, an exercise, and therapy machine. In Greenville, he directed 2 Childhood Obesity studies, 1 Parkinsons and MS study. He wrote four research grants to the U.S. Department of Defense in traumatic brain injury and elite exercise performance/conditioning.
In 2010, Sanjeev founded Java Wellness Group (JWG) in Scottsdale, AZ. Java Wellness Group is a firm that focuses on bringing nutritional and wellness products and concepts to market for its clients. Leveraging Sanjeev's experience in all critical areas of health and wellness, JWG is has been able to provide innovative solutions and ideas to those developing products or services in health-related spaces. JWG has developed, formulated, research, and assists in manufacturing and co-packaging and designs the entire sales and marketing strategies for their clients. With over 18 years of experience and the development of over 86 products in the performance, disease management, skincare, and popular areas such as weight management, JWG has provided turnkey solutions.
Sanjeev is also a sought after educational and research international speaker and frequent guests on radio and television. He is a continual speaker for the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, and development groups such as Women's Conversations. He also is a frequent guest on nutritional and wellness radio shows featuring Dr. Joel Wallach, Best Selling Author Jordan Rubin, and Nutritional Pharmacist Ben Fuchs.
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Be Inspired & Help Support
The 9th Annual RENEWING LIVES Breakfast
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In honor of the month of love, learn more about
The Legend of St. Valentine
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The history of Valentine’s Day—and the story of its patron saint—is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? |
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Visit: www.centerforloss.com
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Coronavirus, Grief, and the
"Six Needs of Mourning"
Watch an Interview with one of North America's leading death educators and grief counselors, Dr. Alan D. Wolfelt, as he discusses Covid-19, Loss, and his "Six Needs of Mourning."
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Programs/Marketing Coordinator
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An important support position is being added at EricsHouse! We are looking for someone who will work with both the Programs Chair and Marketing Chair. This Coordinator should be comfortable using and gathering data, creating reports, and interface with our CRM and scheduling platform. The Coordinator will also work with the Marketing Chair to create strong media and community partner relationships and organize and coordinate our ongoing EricsHouse communications.
Please review the job profile included. If you are interested in supporting EricsHouse or know someone who could be right for this position, please contact patty@ericshouse.org.
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Emmaus Virtual Retreats & Midweek Reflections for Grieving Parents |
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Featured Book: A Mother's GRACE |
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The compelling story of heroic women across the country who, despite personal trauma, found grace in difficult times and transformed their personal adversity into pay-it-forward wins by founding nonprofits that help and sustain others, mother to mother.
In the midst of environmental chaos, economic uncertainly, and an endless array of health issues, mothers remain the backbone of our families and exponentially impact their communities. Such is the case of the brave women featured in A Mother’s Grace: Healing the World One Woman at a Time. Author Michelle Moore is founder and president of Mother’s Grace, an award-winning nonprofit organization that supports thousands of mothers and their children in crisis each year. She endured overwhelming trauma as a young girl when her mother died suddenly, and later struggled with divorce, cancer, and a son with juvenile diabetes. She begins by recounting how women in her circle of mom friends helped heal her childhood wounds and empowered her to claim victories in adulthood. Along the way, through divine intervention, she meets the ten remarkable women featured here whose personal tragedy-to-victory stories changed her forever.
Readers seeking guidance during the challenging times we all face in life will find inspiration and hope as they meet mothers who have lived through dire poverty, the death of a child, a spouse’s suicide, terminal childhood cancer, and devastating natural disaster. The poignant and powerful stories of how each found the grit and grace to not only defeat these challenges but also turn them around to impact the world is enlightening and motivating.
Finally, Moore calls readers to rise from the depths of their challenges and gives them the tools to do so. Lessons from the moms in this book provide specific life strategies anyone can use to improve her situation and the world around her—one woman at a time.
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In addition to providing grief support after a loss and holistic support as part of our Integrative Grief Care model, we offer several alternative therapies to support emotional, physical, and spiritual healing. We work with individuals who have lost someone they love unexpectedly with a specialization in suicide and substance losses. |
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EricsHouse Inc.
1 (855) 894-5658
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