Every week, someone writes to me from a town where no support group exists for parents who have lost a child. They ask the same question: who is allowed to start one? The answer is simpler than you think. A willing heart, a meeting place, and a format. That is the whole list.
You do not need a counseling degree. Some of the most healing rooms in the world are led by ordinary people who share the wound of the people they serve. That is the entire principle behind peer support, and it is why we made starting a Jonny's Angels group beautifully simple.
What you need
Two books. The Jonny's Angels 12-Step Manual, Format and Guide walks you through each weekly meeting step by step: what to say to open, how to hold the sharing time, how to close. You work through the twelve steps as a group, then repeat the cycle for new and returning members. The Workbook and Devotional is each member's companion between meetings.
Finding your people
Post that you are hosting a support group for child loss, child estrangement or sibling loss. A meetup listing, a community board, a church bulletin, a library notice. Grieving parents are everywhere, and most towns give them nowhere to go. Two or three people in a living room is a real group. Some of our strongest circles started exactly that size.
Holding the room
- Confidentiality first. What is shared in the circle stays in the circle. Say it every week.
- Every grief belongs. Child loss, sibling loss, estrangement. Nobody's pain is compared or ranked.
- The format is your friend. When emotion runs high, the manual gives you the next right thing to do.
- You are a fellow traveler, not a therapist. If someone is in crisis, help them reach professional care and the 988 lifeline.
"Community heals. It is that simple."
And you will not be alone. I am one email away for every group leader, and our online community meets weekly so you can experience the format before you lead it. Your town is waiting for the room you could open.
Questions we hear often
Do I need qualifications to start a grief support group?
No. Peer support groups are led by people with lived experience, not licenses. The Jonny's Angels manual provides the meeting format, and leaders direct anyone in crisis to professional care and the 988 lifeline.
How many people do I need to start?
Two or three people is a real group. Post on a meetup site or community board that you are hosting a support group for child loss, child estrangement or sibling loss, and let it grow.
Bring a group to your town
The Manual and Workbook are everything you need to lead a Jonny's Angels support group anywhere in the world.
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