Grief Support Program
Introducing the Grief Support Program at CSI Egmore Wesley Church in Chennai, India.
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 will begin 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 the congregation, the Grief Support Program seeks to extend its work beyond its walls, reaching out to those in need throughout the community-at-large.
Curriculum topics for those in training include:
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Biblical Perspective on Pastoral Counseling: Presence, prayer, and accompaniment.
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Understanding Grief: Psychological and emotional processes.
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Counseling Practice: Individual and group approaches, referral awareness.
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Introduction to Therapeutic Models: CBT, ACT, Expressive and Spiritual Therapies.
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Specialized Counseling: Working with children, adolescents, married couples, bereaved, and the elderly.
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Cultural and Gender Sensitivity in the Indian context.
It is our hope to extend grief support to over 200 people in the first year of the program's implementation.