SHARE MEETING SET FOR THURSDAY

The effect of miscarriage, stillbirth and early infant death on family communication will be explored Thursday at a meeting of the SHARE support group.

The program will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the Southeast Missouri Hospital Cancer Center's first-floor education room.

Persons who have experienced pregnancy or infant loss are encouraged to attend the free program.

Ruth Ann Mier, community support therapist at the Community Counseling Center, will lead the program.

Pregnancy or infant loss can have a tremendous impact on communication between husbands, wives, children and friends, said Mier. She will provide tips on improving communication and discuss what period of time it may take to get communication back to normal.

Sometimes a communication breakdown over the loss of a child can lead to marital problems and divorce, she said.

Mier will also discuss when a family may need professional counseling.

"It's hard for people to know what to say to someone going through a period of grief," said Mier.

Some people may try to be supportive, but what they say may not come out that way.

"A well-meaning friend may tell someone who's had a miscarriage, `Don't worry, you can have another.' Those can be very hurtful words."

While there are certain stages of grief, they may carry a different time frame for each person, she said.

Mier holds a master's degree in psychological counseling from Southeast Missouri State University and has been employed at the counseling center for two years.

She will also lead a talk entitled "Healing the Pain: Working through Grief" Nov. 8 at the Community Counseling Center as part of the center's communication education series.

SHARE meets the second Thursday of each month. For more information, call 651-5560.