Grief seminar offered at Grace Lutheran on Aug. 23

Licensed Grief Counselor Stephen Herbes will offer a free grief seminar on Saturday, August 23, at Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge.

The seminar, sponsored by the church’s Mental Health Team Ministry, will be held in the fellowship hall, beginning at 10:30 a.m. It’s open to the public, and everyone is invited to attend, a press release said.

Herbes will offer an overview of the grief process, including some common misunderstandings about grieving; what influences our responses to loss; some of the losses of middle and later life; six central needs of mourning; and ways to help a grieving person.

For six years, Herbes worked with hundreds of grieving persons as bereavement coordinator for Baptist Hospice in Knoxville. He has led grief support groups in church and healthcare settings since 1998. He also has counseled many older adults experiencing the transitions of later life during his time as lay pastoral care coordinator on staff at two local churches. Between 2009 and 2013, he maintained a private counseling practice in Oak Ridge, working with people experiencing loss and life transitions.

Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church is at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue in Oak Ridge.