Alexa Capeloto
GLENDALE -- The Rev. Alice Zulli suffered a crushing series of
personal losses 10 years ago. Her mother, brother and three friends died,
three other friends were diagnosed with terminal illnesses, her marriage
ended and she lost her house. It all happened within two months.
"There was nothing I could get a hold of to help me," recalled Zulli,
now chaplain associate at Glendale Adventist Medical Center.
After noticing a shortage of support services for people grappling
with grief, Zulli decided to improve the situation herself.
Called Beyond Loss, Zulli's bereavement ministry operates out of the
chaplain's office at the medical center and offers support groups,
individual counseling and resources to people in mourning.
Unlike most hospitals and counseling centers, which provide one main
grief support group, Beyond Loss offers eight different sessions each
week. Some are specialized, like the Teen Talk Grief Group, or the Young
Widow/Widowers Support group. Zulli, a certified thanatologist, or "death
expert," also meets with clients one on one.
"Loved ones are imprinted on our brain," Zulli said of the trauma of
grief. "We go through all the motions of the day with that imprint still
there."
According to Zulli, our culture doesn't allow enough time to heal when
people lose loved ones. Mourners usually get only one to three days off
work and fear they are burdening friends and family with their pain. The
sole purpose of the program's support groups is to provide an outlet for
all the emotions that come with loss.
"Whenever I came through the door (for group sessions), I let my
breath out," said Paulette Chapman, who joined Beyond Loss when her
brother died in 1995 and now facilitates sessions. "I could cry, be
angry, let it all out because I felt supported."
That relief is exactly what Zulli hopes she is providing for people
when they join the program.
"Beyond Loss doesn't come from a clinical approach," she said. "It
comes from a compassionate, supportive approach."
HELP FOR THE BEREAVED:
Beyond Loss runs out of the chaplain's office at Glendale Adventist
Medical Center, 1509 Wilson Terrace. The program offers both evening and
morning support groups at the center, plus a Tuesday evening group
session in Arcadia. Call Alice Zulli at 409-8008 to learn more.
