Where You Can Find Support When Facing Divorce
How does divorce impact our lives?
Divorce affects a lot of people in the United States every year. If you have experienced a divorce or are in the middle of one, you are not alone. According to the American Psychological Association, 40-50% of married couples will divorce. Divorce can impact many areas in a family’s (or person’s) life, including their emotional/mental state, physical health, and finances.
Although divorce has a profound impact on the couple and children, it is not a life sentence. You and your family can find hope and healing to recover from this difficult time. One way to be on the path to a healthy recovery is to join a support group that will help you navigate this difficult path.
What is DivorceCare?
DivorceCare is a divorce recovery support group for anyone in any stage of a divorce. It is a place where people can share their story with others, who are also experiencing the upheaval of divorce; discover help and hope; and experience God’s healing.
DivorceCare is led by people who truly understand the emotional, physical, and mental impact of a divorce on the entire family. Our DivorceCare leaders are volunteers who all have been through divorce themselves. Therefore, they have a heart for individuals who experience separation and divorce.
How does DivorceCare work?
DivorceCare groups meet for a 13-week period. The key elements of DivorceCare are the videos, group discussion, and personal workbook. Each meeting consists of two segments, a video, and group discussion. During the first 30–40 minutes of the meeting, the group will watch a video on divorce and recovery subjects such as healing, help, anger, children, forgiveness, reconciliation, finances, moving forward, and growing closer to God.
After the video, group leaders typically split the participants into smaller groups of five or more to discuss the video and to share what is going on in their lives. The workbook is an individual study and reflection that builds on the meeting and provides additional information and resources.
Our DivorceCare group leaders are experienced at creating and maintaining a comfortable, confidential, warm, safe, and caring environment designed to help participants learn and share their story, thoughts, triumphs, and challenges as they move forward with their healing. Initially, most people feel a little nervous. But they quickly feel comfortable when they discover that other group members are experiencing the same emotions and understand the hurt and pain they are going through.
At each meeting, group members will have the opportunity to share their story and what is going on in their lives. While it can be very healing to tell our story, sometimes we simply want to listen to what others want to share, so there’s never pressure for anyone to talk if they don’t feel like it.
How can DivorceCare help me?
As we have already discussed, DivorceCare is a divorce recovery support group that has opened the path for God’s love, guidance, and the experience of His healing love. I would like to share a couple of stories, including my own, of how DivorceCare has helped some of our own DivorceCare group leaders.
After experiencing a difficult divorce, Sarah’s counselor and LifeGroup members encouraged her to join a DivorceCare group. When she thought of joining a support group, she remembers, “I had already been through so much that my heart was in shreds. And the thought of sharing my intimate hurt with a group of strangers was the last thing I wanted to pursue, but it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. Without a doubt, this was one of the most heart-breaking periods of my life. And God used this life experience for my individual growth, to bring me closer to Him, and to turn my mess into my message to help others through their journey of healing.”
When faced with divorce, Lindsey sought to join a support group. She recalled, “I joined DivorceCare to meet some new people going through the same thing as me, but God had a different plan. He used my lowest point to bring me to Him and completely transform my life.”
Divorce was not the end for Sarah's and Lindsey’s stories. Due to DivorceCare, it was the beginning of a new chapter in their lives where they found hope, healing, and transformation.