First International Conference on Grief support Groups

Grief support groups from Spain, Italy, and Canada will share experiences and work methodologies at an international conference in tribute to the world expert Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

Barcelona, December 4, 2013. – On Friday, December 6, at 10 a.m., the inauguration of the First International Conference of Grief Support Groups will take place at the CaixaForum Auditorium in Barcelona. The conference is organized by the AVES association in collaboration with the funeral services company Àltima. The opening event will kick off the conference, which will bring together around sixty experts in grief and death from Spain, Italy, and Canada over three days (see program).

This first meeting of facilitators from grief support groups and associations at the national level “will allow for the sharing of, for the first time in the sector, attitudes and techniques for supporting the grieving process following the death of a loved one. The goal is to share and learn new tools among the various groups that assist people going through a grief process due to death or illness, thereby contributing to the strengthening of the work of grief support organizations,” says Adela Torres, President of AVES, a pioneering association in mutual aid groups celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Additionally, the conference will pay tribute to Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, one of the leading specialists in end-of-life care, palliative care, and grief, and creator of a loss support research model named after her. The Friday session will specifically address the four dimensions of the person—physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual—defined by Kübler-Ross, with a dedicated session in her honor on Sunday.

The conference will also feature a practical session on Saturday, with workshops involving members of the participating grief organizations, and the conclusions will be presented at the end of the day.