Grief Support
Program
The Minnie R. Fredericks Grief Support Program in Chennai
Grief is a universal human experience—yet in moments of deepest sorrow, many individuals find themselves without meaningful support. In India, as in many places, churches are often approached in such moments, but the response is frequently limited to prayer due to lack of trained pastoral lay counselors. ​
In January, 2026, a dedicated group of lay leaders began training to provide compassionate, effective, and theologically grounded grief counseling to individuals and families navigating loss and trauma. Beyond being a service to members of CSI Egmore Wesley Church where the training took place, the Grief Support Program seeks to extend its work beyond its walls, reaching out to those in need throughout the community-at-large.
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​Curriculum topics for those in training include:
Biblical Perspective on Pastoral Counseling: Presence, prayer, and accompaniment.
Understanding Grief: Psychological and emotional processes.
Counseling Practice: Individual and group approaches, referral awareness.
Introduction to Therapeutic Models: CBT, ACT, Expressive and Spiritual Therapies.
Specialized Counseling: Working with children, adolescents, married couples, bereaved, and the elderly.
Cultural and Gender Sensitivity in the Indian context.
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