Donna was getting counselling from the Red Deer PCN Mental Health program. She had lived with an alcoholic husband for thirty some years and then lost him and 6 other family and friends within a 4 month period about 5 years ago. Over the years she had always stuffed her feelings inside so had never dealt with her struggles or her grief.

Her counsellor suggested that she attend the Journeying through Grief program. On the first day she attended the program she felt very uncomfortable. Others were visually grieving and she was not. Why? She didn’t feel she needed to be there or that it would help her so she talked to the instructor about it at the end of class. The instructor suggested that she continue to attend as it can take some time to work though.

When on week 4 program participants were asked to write a letter to their loved one, the dam broke for her. She realized that she needed to forgive her husband for all those years of challenging her and to family to navigate through the frustration and hardship of living with an alcoholic. Without forgiving him, she could never move forward to grieve. Donna is so glad that she continued the course as without it there would have been no change to her outlook and her ability to move life forward.

Donna states,” I enjoyed the program immensely!” She went on to take the Happiness Basics and The Moving on with Chronic Pain program from the Red Deer PCN.

She invited a friend who had also lost her husband to attend these with her. Donna says that “Instead of only dwelling on the frustration and emotional pain I had suffered, I am now able to even think back to some happy times my family had. These amazing courses have made a big difference to my life.”

About the Red Deer Primary Care Network: 

We (RDPCN) are a partnership between Family Doctors and Alberta Health Services. Health professionals such as psychologists, social workers, nurses and pharmacist work in clinics alongside family doctors.

In addition, programs and groups are offered at the RDPCN central location. This improves access to care, health promotion, chronic disease management and coordination of care.  RDPCN is proud of the patient care offered, the effective programs it has designed and the work it does with partners in health care and the community.