Peer Connections Manitoba(PCM) hosts Peer Support Meetings twice a month at the Active Living Centre.
The meetings are the first and third Wednesday of every month at 2 p.m. and Community Peer Support Worker Eleanor Snitka says the meetings are open to anyone who's experiencing grief for any reason.
"It's a group for people who have experienced death in their family or with a loved one, but it can also be any kind of loss. We grieve for many kinds of losses, it might be the loss of an individual, loss of a job, loss of health, or any kind of loss that people are having trouble dealing with. We have a very supportive, active group, and people are so kind and supportive and non-judgmental to anything that people are dealing with."
Snitka says everyone grieves in their own ways, and that's why having a group can like this can be helpful.
"I always say to people there's no time limit, and there are no rules to grief because many times they think 'oh, I'm not getting over it' so we try to let them know that we're here for them all the time."
Those aren't the only group meetings that PCM holds however, as Snitka says she also holds a wellness group for anyone that has dealt with or has family members who have dealt with mental health issues. Those meetings are on the third Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Active Living Centre.
"I think the important thing about peer support groups is that people have other people in their life, may times when they're experiencing mental health distress, people isolate themselves, and so coming out to a group where people really understand what they're dealing with, and say 'Hey, I understand, I've been there, that's happened to me too,' is really helping them to feel like they belong again and start to fit in."
Snitka also goes to the Ste. Rose Centre at 2 p.m. on the second and third Thursday of each month, and she holds a walk and talk at 1 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday at Credit Union Place for people who aren't as comfortable in the traditional support group setting.
PCM has set up an office at Under One Roof, and while she doesn't hold regular office hours, people can set up a meeting with Snitka by calling 431-345-0353.
