Our Residential Programs
Our Non-Residential Programs
Support Groups
The Women’s Support Groups of the Elizabeth Stone House offer a non-judgmental, positive, and encouraging place that gives women the opportunity to resume their growth.
Through sharing, women learn that they are not alone. The groups also help boost self-esteem through helping others, accomplishing goals, and being a part of a positive and nurturing process. Our belief is that when a woman finally has the opportunity to talk about her experience with others who have shared it, she will understand she is not to be blamed for her experience, thus she can begin to heal.
All support groups at the Elizabeth Stone House follow a self-help empowerment philosophy. Each member takes control over what occurs in the group. Group members, along with the facilitator(s), set limits, boundaries, and group norms. Advocacy is provided to all support group members. Groups are free and childcare is provided.
The Stone House offers support groups in English and Spanish.
Current group topics are:
Reunification Group
Mom’s Support Group
Coping After Reunification Is Not Granted (CARING)
Anger Management
Domestic Violence
Relapse Prevention
Self-Esteem
Trauma Support Group
Current Group Schedule:
Mondays
Teen Group
Reunification
Tuesdays
Relapse Prevention
Anger Management Work Group
The Nurturing Program (English)
Wednesdays
The Nurturing Program (Spanish)
Child Witness to Violence
Thursdays
Domestic Violence
Trauma Support
Mom’s Support (Junta de Mamas)
Fridays
Women's Support (Junta de Mujeres)
On-Going Groups
CARING (Coping After Reunification Is Not Granted)
Self Esteem
PEP (Personal Economic Planning)
"I generally don’t feel comfortable in groups, but this one was different. There was no criticism or lecturing. There was just support, and there was so much strength…we are all from such different backgrounds, but the pain unites us."
-Susan, after attending her first support group
For more information please contact supportgroups@elizabethstone.org or 617-427-9801 x 421
Group Descriptions
Reunification Group
The Reunification Group supports, encourages and informs women seeking to regain custody of their children from foster care or DSS custody. ESH recognizes that while most mothers truly desire to care for and nurture their children, they might not be prepared for the practical challenges and realities of parenting. As a result, mothers can find themselves overwhelmed by or resentful of the pressures of caring for their own children – that is, of getting precisely what they thought they wanted. As a result, both women and children suffer unnecessarily.
The Reunification Group serves to make this transition from non-custodial to custodial parent as smooth and positive as possible for both mothers and their children. The Reunification Group supports women throughout the process of seeking to regain custody of their children, prepares them for the reality of once again being full-time parents, helps them adjust to their new family life and create stable, loving homes for their families.
Mom’s Support Group
Helping mothers strengthen the bond between them and their children is an essential aim of ESH’s Parent-Child Center. To this end, the Parent-Child Center offers an array of facilitated support groups to resident mothers and community members. The weekly “Mom’s Group” focuses on such topics including parenting techniques, childhood development and anger management, providing mothers a supportive venue in which to discuss their challenges and concerns, enhance their parenting skills and share their progress, accomplishments and victories.
Coping After Reunification Is Not Granted (“CARING”)
ESH’s self-designed Coping After Reunification Is Not Granted (“CARING”) support group is for women permanently denied custody of their children by the Department of Social Services. To ESH’s knowledge, the curriculum-based CARING is one of the only, if not the only, support group of its kind in the nation. CARING, which employs fundamental grief counseling principles, offers women the opportunity to work through their feelings of grief, shame and remorse – and develop plans for moving forward despite their devastating loss.
Anger Management work group
Designed to help women (and particularly mothers) change problematic expression of anger. The Anger Management Work Group is a 12-week, curriculum-based program addressing the following topics: what anger is; what anger looks like; anger and parenting; why we choose anger; the origin of anger; suggestions for dealing with anger; effective communication; anger and addiction; anger and boundary development; and self-care. The group provides women the tools to express their feelings in an appropriate and productive manner, thereby enhancing their ability to foster and sustain healthy relationships, stable home environments and positive work situations.
Domestic Violence Support Group
The Domestic Violence Support Group is designed to help women understand the domestic violence they have witnessed or experienced and b) find ways out of violent situations. The Domestic Violence Support Groups combines the sharing of personal stories and the use of prepared materials such as DVDs with instruction on learning to utilize peer support and building a comprehensive network of support. Topics include:
The definition of domestic violence
The Warning Signs
The Cycle of Violence
Myths, Statistics and Facts about Domestic Violence
How Domestic Violence Affects Our Children
Safety Planning and Support
Suggestions for Helping
Self Esteem
Healthy Relationships
Relapse Prevention
Helps women recognize the symptoms associated with drug and alcohol addiction and relapse. Women are also educated on the medical effects of a variety of drugs. A 12-step recovery program, as well as peer support, is encouraged for participants in this group. While the Relapse Prevention Group is an open group, it is recommended that newly recovering women attend for at least 6 months.
Self Esteem
This group helps women understand the essence of self-esteem and how it can affect their lives positively or negatively. Through reflection and peer support women are encouraged to change those negative messages (external and internal) that continue to effect their perception of themselves and the choices they make. The group addresses such issues as personal care, healthy relationships, communication and image. At the core of these group discussions and exercises are tools the women can use to take care of self, set goals and seek to attain them.
Trauma Support Group
The Trauma Survivors’ Group is a semi-closed, curriculum-based psycho-educational group that runs on a 10-week cycle. The group’s goal is to help women understand both the impact of trauma and that they themselves possess the capacity for healing. The Trauma Survivors’ Group encourages survivors to tend to the wounds of trauma while continuing to build safer, healthier and happier lives for themselves and their children. Topics include:
Understanding trauma;
Transforming dysfunctional coping skills into effective coping skills
Trauma and memory
Understanding triggers
Safety and self-care
Self-abuse
The trauma antidote
Positive connections
Healing of relationships
Redefining family and community