What is Support Group

This qualitative research study took place in Central Texas and is rooted in the principles of collaborative action research. This research approach was useful to gather facts, define the problem, engage study participants, and come up with a product that fit the community need defined by Compassionate Heart Hospice, the focal study setting. The research questions are: How can we use the pillars of community development to identify needs and assets within the hospice setting? What can bereavement facilitators working at hospice do to educate adults to talk about death and dying to assist grieving children? Data collection sources include: interviews, written reflections, field notes, documents (e.g., hospice fliers, brochures, and written information), and site observations and visits. Study findings are presented through the following three themes: (1) hospice and the pillars of community development, (2) educating adults to assist grieving children, and (3) creating a curricular guide for bereavement facilitators. The chapter includes an introduction, a description of the four pillars of community development (physical capital, intellectual and human capital, social capital, and financial capital) as explained by Ferguson and Dickens (1999), a section addressing why educating adults on death and dying is relevant, and a section on grief as a process. After that, the authors provide all relevant details describing the qualitative methodology for the implementation of the study (e.g., study settings, study participants, data collection sources, data analysis) and conclusion.