Graduate of The Grief Recovery Institute, Sherman Oaks, California.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above

Many Christians have experienced challenging times in today's multi-faceted life style. From broken homes, failed relationships and career losses, combined with the changes in our Church Family over the years, we are left functioning with an inward heaviness, that for me I would learn to recognize as unresolved grief.

Yet GOD has introduced an additional tool to help us deal with our Grief.  Although this program is secular from the Church, it WORKS and many disciples have been helped by Grief Recovery here in the Los Angeles area.  Not to mention the thousands that have received help around the nation.  The G.R. Institute Founders are often the first responders called to major tragedies like 911 or Columbine.

This program is an amazing opportunity to unload many years of unprocessed grief thru re-education

of what grief is and what it is not.  Whether a loss due to death,divorce or a break up.  OR a move to

a new city, new ministry or major life changes including career, financial and personal ----Grief Recovery

is a workshop where you can learn more about yourself, how you got there and how you can process loss in your life in a healthy and productive manner.

Many of us come from some kind of family dysfunctional background and can relate to various forms of abuse. Even those who claim to come from a perfect and happy home, often learn in Grief Recovery the hidden desires of things being different or communications left unsaid.

Sally grew up in the perfect family, Father had a respectable job, a nurturing Mother in the home.  But as some can relate, having to be the perfect daughter, achieve perfect grades, go to the perfect college and graduate with the perfect degree,  while ignoring passions and interests that are not nurtured in the home, well -  resentments are born, planted and fed.   "I only felt loved when I proved myself to my parents. Yet my interestes and passions were not respected as more than trivial hobbies".

Billy is a Disciple, a college graduate with a good job, married with 2 children and loves GOD and his church family.  Yet, he has difficulty with relationships, particularly trusting or reconcilling with people.  He shuts down and his wife and children are the only people that count.  Thru GR, Billy was able to go back to the beginning years of his life, when his Father and Mother left him with his Grandparents for a few years while they travelled to the U.S.A. to build a better life for the family.

Those early years created feelings of abandonemnet, fear, anger and resentment. After joining his parents in the U.S, he would forget those early years .  A college graduate college with honors and later he would marry a wonderful Christian wife.  They had two children and his life seemed to be happy and normal.  Yet Billy suffered in building friendships, trust and ultimately would find himself unable to reconcile even to those he considered his closest friends.   It was thru GR that Billy was able to unlock his feelings and grieve the childhood he never had, how it affected the child, boy, teen and young man he became.  He learned how to reconcile his relationships with his family, friends and how to forgive himself.   Today a totally different person, Billy walks with a lite step and is able to build healthy friendships.

As for my story, I had  moved back to California from Europe where I lived for 8years.  I left behind a lifestyle I adored, many good friends and experiences, an exciting career and a broken dysfunctional relationship.  It was GOD who saved my life when I became a Disciple.  And I believe it was GOD who also led me to GR.  I learned how to grieve the loss of a loved parent; grieve the move back to to the U.S. and  grieve my distorted thinking that I was a failure at my inability to recapture the once thriving career in the entertaiment industry.

As a Disciple I felt a failure, I couldn't change this heaviness at my core.  Even worse was being told that it was my fault because I wasn't committed to my relationship with GOD  or due to my own lack of faith.  This may press some buttons for some of you, but the truth is, all those comments came from concerned and loving people I respected.  It wasn't that they did not care, they just didn't get it!  And neither did I.  

After finishing a GR workshop, I went back for professional training and graduated from the GR Institute in 2006.  It has  given me the opportunity to help steer many people thru their own grief issues.  As well as to educate people on how to approach those who are grieving.

Often not knowing what to do, one can do nothing.  We can justify to ourselves, the person "needs space" when what they really need is just someone to listen.  Sayings like "it's for the best" or "time will heal" or "be strong" are just WRONG.  Thru the Grief Recovery Program we learn how to encourage and support those who are hurting as well as how to process our own grief.

For more information log onto www.Grief-Recovery.net.  If you are interested in a workshop or personal counseling and live in the Los Angeles area, please contact me at glebitty@pacbell.net.  For groups of 8+ or if your Church would like to sponsor a 3-day workshop, I am available for travel. 

Georgette  Lebitty

10 Yr Disciple in the Turning Point Ministry

Burbank,  CA