Cries for help: Opioid crisis creates new need for grief therapy and support groups

Parents and psychologists on the front lines of the fentanyl crisis say demand is increasing for specialized support groups and grief therapy.

According toAlberta Health, 733 Albertans died from apparent accidental opioid overdoses last year.

Behind each death are family members who maystruggle with a complex combination of trauma, grief and guilt.

"In the past year and a half, we've seen a surge in clients coming into work with us who have had that specific loss of a loved one who died due to a fentanyl overdose," said Ashley Mielke, a psychologist and grief recovery specialist at the Grief and Trauma Healing Centre in Edmonton.

Beth Murray, a psychologist at Fresh Hope Counselling in Edmonton, said she has seen a similar increase.

Both have taken steps to educate themselves on the opioid crisis in order to better help their clients Mielke attended Edmonton Police Service seminars on fentanyl while Murray earned a certificate in pain management.

Barriers to support

Experts say grievingan opioid-related death has unique challenges.

Families often struggle with trauma from before and after the death,as well as feelings of guilt and fear of being judged.

"There's research that shows people who lose a loved one traumatically grievelonger and have more difficulty coping with the grief because of the stigma surrounding the death," said Petra Schulz. Her youngest child, 25-year-old Danny, died of an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2014.

• Alberta fentanyl deaths slow for first time in two years

After her son died, Schulz visited three grief therapists but said she felt none understood her situation. A fourth, a traumatic loss specialist, was a much better fit.

Through her work running Moms Stop the Harm, a network of Canadian families who have lost loved ones due to substance use, she has also learned about the financial barriers to therapy faced by many parents.

"There are people who don't go because they can't afford it," she said.

Families turn to support groups

Like the professional counsellors, support groups in Edmonton have also seen an influx of people whose family members have died due to a fentanyl overdose.

The Parents Empowering Parents Society hosts regular discussions for families dealing with their children's substance use, but co-founder Maralyn Benay said parents of children who have died continue to attend the meetings.

Every September, the society hosts its Love You Forever eventin Sherwood Park, where 40 or50 families light candles, participate in a stone ceremony and share stories.

Angela Welz and Angie James started a local chapter of the U.S.-based GRASP (Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing) program because they felt there was a lack of support groups with this specialty in Edmonton. The group has grown from five families in April2017 to about 50 now.

Welz, whose daughterZoe died of a fentanyl overdose in 2016,values thesupport from other families."Through our own grief," she said,"we've really become a community."

While GRASP has filled a void, Welz believes there needs to be a Canadian-based support network. She is working withMoms Stop the Harm to start launchHealing Hearts, a new grief recovery network that will be a structured and insured group with an activity schedule and trained leaders.

Helping people talk about their emotions

Murray warns thatbeing exposed to the grief and trauma of others could be counterproductive for some people."Talking about it doesn't necessarily make it better," she said.

Ideally, Murray said, support groups should be structured and have a treatment plan that helps participants move toward healing.

• 'The grief subsides but it never goes away': How families find support online

Though each family and death is different,Mielke believes grief therapy needs to focuson the family's emotional reaction to the loss and their relationships with the people who died.

"So many times, we get caught up in what happened and how it happened and all the details that we become distracted from the emotional pain," she said.

Community resources

• Online: MyHealth.Alberta.cafor self-guided support tools.
• Phone: Call 211 or 811, or contact the Canadian Mental Health Association's distress line at 780-482-4357