Is A Divorce Support Group Right For Me? 🤔

Welcome to my new subscribers this week. It’s great to have you in my community! No matter where you are in your divorce journey, I hope that my emails are a source of support for you ❤️

My six-week divorce support coaching workshop is kicking off on Sunday, 12th November. I’ve had some questions come through on social media, so I thought I’d answer them here in case some of you were wondering the same.

In my last email, I outlined the ‘5 Ways a Divorce Support Group Can Help You Recover’.  

If you’ve never taken part in a support group before, you might be wondering what value you will get out of it.

I took part in two support groups after my divorce. One was within the first six months of separation, the second was after my post-divorce relationship ended, and I realised that I was still struggling with codependent behaviours.

Each group helped me to feel like I was normal, that I wasn’t going through it alone, and that people genuinely cared about each other’s stories and wanted the best for each other as we recovered.

Isolation

Isolation is one of the hardest hurdles to overcome when you are experiencing the pain and turmoil of separation. It doesn’t matter how many people we have around us trying to help, if they have not experienced what we are experiencing, there’s a feeling like we are completely alone in our struggles and no one ‘gets it’.

We are searching for the feeling that what we are going through is a universal response to an overwhelming experience. Let’s face it: there’s not many things in life that can shake you to the core quite like separation and divorce. This is why it has been likened by professionals to the death of a loved one.

I don’t believe that we should do grief alone.

However, when I tried to talk to my family and friends about it, they didn’t seem to understand the full impact of what I was going through.

This made me feel even more lonelier and isolated in my despair.

In contrast, when I spoke to people that were going through it too, I felt less pain. It made me feel like I had a fighting chance of making it through and feeling happiness again.

Vulnerability

In my last support group, half of the six were men. One of them shared that although he had never cried before in his life, he found himself crying every night as he went to bed and was experiencing panic attacks during the day.

The other men shared that they, too, had found themselves in states of emotional distress so intense that they had cried. They all said they felt relieved to hear that they weren’t alone in this, and that they hadn’t felt like they could admit this to their friends or family members.

It’s the age-old ‘boys don’t cry’ mentality that we need to shake off when we are in the midst of pure grief.

This type of vulnerability is what makes us stronger, not weaker. There is something extremely powerful about hearing someone else admit that they are grappling with the same struggles as we are. It lessens the intensity of the struggle.

Speaking of grief, that’s one of the topics we’ll cover, because often we underestimate the impact of all our losses after a significant relationship ends, especially when we have children.

Questions

Ok, onto the questions. If you have a question about the group that is not answered here, feel free to reply to this email and I’ll get straight back to you.

1. Can the sessions be recorded if I miss one?

   These sessions won’t be recorded as the sharing will be very intimate and vulnerable. This is a safe space to express any and everything that you’re going through.

2. Why is the group capped at six people?

   So that people can form genuine connections with others in the group. Also, small groups allow more time for sharing and encouragement.

3. What topics are we going to cover while we are in session?

   We have specific weekly themes that will guide our homework prompts (working through grief and loss, co-parenting challenges, mastering emotional overwhelm, coping with triggers, and setting goals to move us towards the life we want now).

4. What is your role as the coach?

   My role is to facilitate the group discussions and ask questions to encourage deeper understanding and connection. The majority of the time will be spent sharing with each other.

5. How do I join?

   If you’d like to enrol for the group, you can submit this form and I’ll be in touch within 24 hours with onboarding details.

6. Times and costs?

   We will meet online each Sunday at 10.30am Pacific Standard Time. The cost is $249 USD one off payment, or two monthly payments of $125 USD.

   On completion of the workshop, you can book a free 90-minute individual coaching session with me at a time that suits you. This session is where we take all of your new learning and create an action plan for the steps you want to take as you move forward.

7. Would I be a good fit for the group?

   If you have separated or divorced in the last 2-3 years, share children with your ex-spouse and have a genuine desire to share your story and listen to others, this group will be a great fit for you.

The decision to heal, recover and rebuild a life you love is in your hands and no one else’s.

I’d love to welcome you into my support group in a couple of weeks time. I genuinely enjoy working with people to help them find the tools they need to feel stronger in themselves after divorce and confident to be great co-parents to their kids.

Let’s do this together!

Carol

ICYMI : Download your free divorce recovery workbook here.

If you know anyone who could benefit from reading this, please consider sharing it with them ❤️

Want to work with me? Book a free discovery call here.