LCC is grateful to the Advent Lutheran Church Mission Fund of Advent Lutheran Church in Manhattan for renewing LCC’s Grief and Loss Initiative with another $5,000.00 grant for the coming year (through June of 2012).  –Last year, the LCC initiative helped decrease anxiety and depression for eleven individuals and families who experienced severe grief as a result of life situations, events and financial losses by providing subsidized fees for counseling sessions. This initiative has focused especially on helping those who live or work in the New York City boroughs by subsidizing individual counseling sessions for those unable to afford the vital healing that counseling affords.  

Of the eleven people helped through the Grief and Loss Advent grant this past year, most were experiencing more than one loss in their lives. These losses included deaths of spouses, loss of employment, trauma from an abusive childhood, and relationship losses incurred as new immigrants to America.  Depression often accompanied these losses.  One young woman helped as a result of this initiative is disabled due to an accident that left her physically debilitated and with chronic pain; she has stated that she had nowhere to turn and continues to be amazed at how much better she is feeling as a result of the chance to receive this therapy. For those unable to afford professional counseling, receiving this life-changing therapy is a precious gift.

The stages one suffering from extreme grief and loss goes through are Shock and Denial, Disorganization, Volatile Emotions, Guilt, Loss and Loneliness, Relief, and Recovery. These stages are not distinctive. They overlap and can occur with any personally devastating event, whether it is as a result of a traumatic event, the death of someone close or the loss of employment. Emotions throughout these stages include anger, resentment and even despair. Most of the people we helped last year suffered from multiple traumatic events and were unemployed or underemployed.