COMMUNITY CIRCLE

HEAL Grief Community Circle

Honoring Emotions And Loss

A compassionate space for people learning to live with the death of someone meaningful.

HEAL is a free grief education and peer-support Community Circle for adults who have experienced the death of someone important to them.

Meetings create space to understand grief, reflect, connect, share when you choose, and explore practical ways to live alongside loss.

Register for a Scheduled Meeting Join the Contact List What to Expect

HEAL Grief Community Circle

There Is No Single Way to Grieve

Grief can affect thoughts, emotions, relationships, sleep, energy, identity, routines, and the way we experience the world around us.

There is no one timeline, correct sequence, or universal way to move through it.

HEAL offers a supportive place to learn about grief, reflect on your own experience, and connect with others who are also living with loss.

The goal is not to "move on" or complete grief. It is to make space for what has changed while continuing to live, connect, and find meaning in the life that remains.

Who Is HEAL For?

HEAL welcomes adults who have experienced the death of someone meaningful.

Recent Loss

Find a supportive place to begin making sense of a life that may feel suddenly changed.

Long-Standing Loss

Return to your grief when anniversaries, life changes, or new experiences bring it forward again.

Anyone Seeking Connection

Join others who understand that grief can remain part of life long after a death occurs.

Join When You Need It

HEAL is designed as an open, rotating Community Circle.

You do not need to begin with the first meeting, complete every topic, or attend in a particular order.

Each session is designed to stand on its own, so participants may join at any point and return when a meeting or topic feels helpful.

Regular participation can create familiarity and connection, but there is no expectation that grief follows a curriculum or timeline.

What to Expect

HEAL blends grief education, guided reflection, optional practices, and community conversation.

Understand

Learn about common grief experiences without reducing grief to a set of stages or rules.

Reflect

Explore thoughts, emotions, memories, identity, and what has changed since the death.

Connect

Spend time with others who understand that grief can be complicated, personal, and ongoing.

Choose

Share, listen, pass, or step out as needed. Participation is always your choice.

A Grief-Informed Approach

HEAL does not ask participants to follow a prescribed path through grief.

We recognize that grief is nonlinear and may change over time. Different people may experience the same kind of loss very differently.

There is no expectation to "move on," "let go," find a silver lining, or make meaning before you are ready.

HEAL creates room to honor both the person who died and the continuing impact of that relationship on your life.

Topics We May Explore

HEAL uses a rotating series of stand-alone topics that explore different dimensions of grief.

Understanding Grief

Explore how grief can affect thoughts, emotions, the body, relationships, and daily life.

The Body & Grief

Notice how loss may show up through sleep, energy, tension, appetite, concentration, and physical sensation.

Emotions Without Judgment

Make room for sadness, anger, relief, guilt, numbness, fear, love, or other emotions without ranking or correcting them.

Identity & Change

Explore how roles, relationships, routines, and identity may shift after a death.

Triggers & Anniversaries

Reflect on holidays, anniversaries, places, songs, routines, and unexpected reminders that can bring grief forward.

Continuing Bonds

Explore ways a relationship may continue through memory, ritual, story, values, and meaning.

Relationships After Loss

Discuss changes in family, friendships, communication, support, and feeling understood after a death.

Caring for Yourself

Explore gentle, practical ways to support rest, routine, connection, and everyday functioning during grief.

Living Forward

Consider what it means to continue living while still carrying love, memory, and loss with you.

A Typical HEAL Gathering

The exact flow may change, but sessions usually include a combination of grounding, education, reflection, conversation, and closing.

Arrive & Ground

Settle in, review group agreements, and begin with a brief grounding practice or opening reflection.

Learn & Explore

Explore a grief-related topic through brief education, an optional activity, reflection, or discussion.

Connect & Close

Share if you choose, listen to others, and finish with a closing reflection or grounding practice.

A Circle Built on Choice & Respect

HEAL is designed to support emotional safety and personal choice.

Share or Pass

You are invited to participate, but you are never required to speak or tell your story.

Speak From Your Experience

We encourage "I" statements and curiosity rather than assumptions about another person's grief.

Support Without Fixing

Listen first. Advice, problem-solving, or suggestions should be offered only when welcome.

Respect Differences

There is no hierarchy of grief and no need to compare one loss with another.

Protect Privacy

Please respect the privacy of other participants and do not share personal stories outside the group without permission.

Take Care of Yourself

You may pause, step outside, change your level of participation, or leave early if needed.

Reflection & Gentle Practices

Some HEAL meetings may include optional practices to support reflection, grounding, or awareness.

These may include breathing, brief mindfulness, journaling, memory prompts, creative reflection, gentle movement, or other simple practices.

Participation is optional. You are always welcome to modify, observe, or pass.

Grief Education & Peer Support, Not Therapy

HEAL is a community grief education and peer-support circle.

It is not psychotherapy, behavioral health treatment, a grief diagnosis, or a substitute for individualized mental health or medical care.

The group does not ask participants to process trauma or disclose experiences they do not wish to discuss.

If you need more individualized support, a facilitator may help point you toward appropriate community or clinical resources.

Register for a Scheduled Meeting

HEAL is typically offered periodically throughout the year.

When an upcoming meeting is scheduled, available dates will appear below.

Use the Mindbody listing to register directly for the meeting you would like to attend.

Don't see a meeting listed?
A future meeting may not yet be scheduled. Join the contact list below and we can keep you informed about upcoming dates.

Join the Contact List

Join the HEAL Contact List

Interested in future meetings but don't see a scheduled date that works for you?

Join the contact list to receive information about upcoming HEAL meetings, special topics, guest speakers, and related Elevate opportunities.

You can join whether or not you are ready to attend a current meeting.

Joining the contact list does not register you for a specific meeting.

Cost

HEAL is offered free of charge to community members.

If you would like to support Elevate programming, you may consider making a gift through the Mammoth Hospital Foundation.

Support Elevate

Location

HEAL meetings are typically held at:

Elevate Wellness & Performance
121 College Parkway
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546

Meetings may use the second-floor study or another quiet Elevate gathering space.

Check the current Mindbody listing for meeting-specific location information.

Participation

HEAL is designed primarily for adults, and discussions may include emotionally complex topics related to death, grief, relationships, identity, and loss.

If you are seeking grief support for a child or teenager, please contact Elevate so we can help identify appropriate resources or opportunities.

Participants may engage as much or as little as they choose. There is no requirement to tell your story or discuss details of the death.

Questions Before Attending?

If you are unsure whether HEAL is the right fit or would like help with registration, contact Elevate.

760-924-4301

elevate@mammothhospital.com

HEAL FAQs

What is HEAL?

HEAL stands for Honoring Emotions And Loss.

It is a free grief education and peer-support Community Circle for adults who have experienced the death of someone meaningful.

How recent does my loss need to be?

There is no required timeline.

Your loss may be recent or many years ago. Grief can change and reappear across different life experiences, anniversaries, and transitions.

Do I need to attend every meeting?

No. HEAL is an open, rotating Community Circle.

Each session is designed to stand on its own, so participants may join at any point and attend as often as feels useful.

Do I have to tell my story?

No. Sharing is always optional.

You may talk, listen, pass on an activity, or simply be present.

Does HEAL follow the five stages of grief?

No. HEAL does not treat grief as a fixed sequence of stages that everyone must complete.

Grief is individual, nonlinear, and can change over time.

What happens during a meeting?

Meetings may include grounding, brief grief education, guided reflection, an optional activity, group conversation, resource sharing, and a closing practice.

The exact format may vary from meeting to meeting.

Is HEAL grief counseling or therapy?

No. HEAL is a community grief education and peer-support circle.

It is not psychotherapy, behavioral health treatment, or individualized grief counseling.

What if I become emotional during the group?

Grief can bring strong emotions, and participants are encouraged to take care of themselves during the meeting.

You may pause, step outside, change your level of participation, or leave early if needed.

How much does HEAL cost?

HEAL is offered free of charge.

When does HEAL meet?

Meetings are offered periodically throughout the year.

Current scheduled meetings will appear in the Mindbody registration section above.

If no meeting is currently listed, join the contact list to receive information about future dates.

What is the difference between registering and joining the contact list?

Registering through Mindbody reserves your place for a specific scheduled meeting.

Joining the contact list allows Elevate to keep you informed about future meetings and related opportunities, but it does not register you for a specific date.

What if I need more support than a community group can provide?

HEAL is intended for grief education, connection, and peer support.

If you need individual mental health care, crisis support, or another clinical service, please connect with an appropriate healthcare professional or support resource.

Explore More at Elevate

Community Circles

Explore additional community, support, and connection-based groups at Elevate.

Community Wellness

Explore opportunities to connect, learn, participate, and support wellbeing across our community.

Restore

Explore additional Elevate offerings centered on rest, recovery, reflection, and renewal.

How HEAL Elevates

Connect

Connect

Be with others who understand that grief can remain part of life.

Restore

Restore

Create space to slow down, reflect, and care for yourself through loss.

Discover

Discover

Learn more about grief, your own experience, and ways of living with loss.

Create

Create

Find personal ways to remember, honor, express, and carry forward what matters.

You Are Welcome Here

Come to a scheduled HEAL meeting or join the contact list so we can keep you informed about future opportunities to reflect, learn, and connect.

Register for a Meeting Join the Contact List Explore Community Circles