Victoria Mercado introduces peer support groups launching in May and June for people who lost their mothers young. Two separate circles divide by age: one for those 18 and under, another for 21 and under, because grief looks different depending on whether you're still at home or navigating college and work. Participants help shape the curriculum alongside Hope Edelman.
Chapters
Hi everyone, I'm Victoria Mercado, clinical supervisor for the Motherless Daughters Support Circles, which will be starting in May and June of this year. One of the great things about the support circles is that we're going to be offering 2 different groups: one for those who lost their mother at the age of 18 and under, and a second group for those who lost their mother at the age of 21 and under. And the reasoning behind that is because you may be processing your grief differently and developmentally depending on how old you were when you lost your mom. So for example, if you lost your mom at the age of 17 or 18, you are probably still living at home and possibly taking on some of your mother's roles, having to take care of siblings, run the household, while also going to school and maintaining friendships. As compared to those who are or were 20 or 21 when they lost their mother, they're more than likely living outside of the home, going to college or finding a job, and trying to figure out their identity without their mother being around. So that's kind of why we've decided to take 2 different groups and see how we can help where they were at developmentally. Another great thing about the support circles is that you are going to be helping Hope, Zan, and myself create a really great curriculum for our peer training program. And so we'll be learning and growing our curriculum as we run these support circles with you. So it's a really exciting time to expand this program, and we really hope to see you soon.
