Full Circle Grief Center

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Richmond, VA
Full Circle Grief Center

Central Virginia's comprehensive grief and bereavement resource. The risk is high for that family to break apart.

Full Circle Grief Center was founded in 2008 in response to the great need in Central Virginia to help families who had experienced the death of someone they loved – most often a father or spouse. Those families and their at-risk children were too often grieving in isolation without support – and often did not have the funds to pursue private counseling or other forms of grief support. Our programs have touched more than 9,000 lives. Our goals are to help grieving individuals:

• Increase communication with family members so families stay together in grief
• Learn coping skills to deal with traumatic events and grief
• Build support networks to reduce isolation
• Heal through creative expression

Full Circle is very unique in its approach to bereavement care:

- We combine professionally-designed grief support programs with creative expression in the form of art, music, play, dance and journaling to trigger discussions that may not have occurred otherwise.

- We are the only organization in Richmond to provide bereavement groups for extended families along with age-appropriate groups simultaneously. Families learn to grieve together rather than in isolation.

- We are also the only organization in Richmond to provide bereavement support to underserved students at their inner-city school. The need is so high that we are focusing our efforts on traumatic death. We rely 100% on the community to provide these services free of charge to all participants through our three main programs:

Counseling Groups for Families:
• Hands On Healing for children ages 3-18 and their families.
• Perinatal Loss Group for parents who are grieving the death of a baby.
• Suicide Loss Group for adults and school-aged children grieving a loss by suicide. Outreach Groups for Underserved At-Risk Youth at:
• Inner-city schools
• Community partner sites: ChildSavers, Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority, etc.
• Richmond City Police Department (Homicide Support Group)

Grief Education:
• Bereavement training for local professionals and community members
• Published the area’s first and only comprehensive grief resource manual

04/05/2026

The upcoming holidays can provide an unwelcome reminder of the loss of a loved one: an empty chair, another season without them. 💙

Follow along the link below or our link in bio for a timely article from our friends at What's Your Grief Their blog post includes a "remembering basket" activity, as well as general tips and suggestions on how to get through a difficult holiday. 🌸

Grief and Easter | What's Your Grief

https://whatsyourgrief.com/grief-and-easter/

04/03/2026

🌸 Spring Support Groups 🌸 Our Spring groups for 2026 are beginning in April and May. Please register at our website if you or someone you know may benefit from joining us. These groups are offered for FREE at no cost to participants. Pre-registration is required.

💙 Young Adult Loss Group | Ongoing, meets virtually April 7

💙 Perinatal Loss Group | Tuesdays, begins April 14

💙 Widow, Widower, and Partner Loss Group | Tuesday, begins April 7

💙 Su***de Loss Group | Wednesdays, begins May 6

💙 Overdose and Substance Use-Related Loss Group | Thursdays, begins May 14

For more information on these groups, visit our website below or our link in bio. 🔗

Full Circle Grief Center | Support Groups
https://fullcirclegc.org/support-groups

04/01/2026

Congratulations to our team members at Full Circle who are celebrating their staff anniversary this month! 🎉

Kerri Björkholm
Care Coordinator
2 years

From our group leaders, individual therapists, administrative and clinical teams, we couldn't do it without you! 💙

03/30/2026

As we gear up for our Living Your Dash luncheon on April 23rd, we are celebrating our 2026 Award Winners, continuing with Adri Herron of Sanctuary Rescue! Congratulations! 🎉

Adri Herron is the founder and CEO of Sanctuary Rescue in Midlothian, Virginia. Her career in rescue began quite by accident when she snuck home a very pregnant pit bull from a local shelter. Soon after, Sanctuary Rescue was born. Now over 15 years later, it boasts one of the largest dog foster programs in Central Virginia, thousands of animals saved, hundreds of dedicated volunteers, and three brick-and-mortar locations, including a low-cost/no-cost community pet wellness clinic, a community pet food pantry, and an innovative retail-to-rescue adoption center and boutique.

At the heart of Sanctuary Rescue’s mission is a belief that every life matters. Through a combination of hands-on care, education, and storytelling, the organization not only rescues animals but also inspires a deeper connection between people and the animals who depend on them. Adri believes that rescue is a relationship business and uses humor, positivity, and authenticity to connect with Sanctuary’s supporters. Outside of rescue, some of Adri’s favorite things are enjoying the view of her farm from her front porch rocking chairs, her two emus named Jeremy, and smooching dogs that look like baked potatoes.

You can learn more about the event and our other award winners by visiting our website at fullcirclegc.org/living-your-dash or click our link in bio! 🌸

03/25/2026

As we gear up for our Living Your Dash luncheon on April 23rd, we are celebrating our 2026 Award Winners, starting with Lt. Kenny Mitchell of Operation Yellow Tape! Congratulations! 🎉

Lt. Kenny Mitchell Jr. (Ret.) began his fire service career in 2002 with the Virginia Beach Fire Department. In 2007 he relocated to Chesterfield, Virginia where he was employed with Chesterfield County Fire & EMS until 2024, when he retired as a Lieutenant after nearly 23 years. Kenny served in a variety of assignments while with Chesterfield County Fire & EMS including lead instructor in the Training Division, member of the Marine Incident Response Team (MIRT) and Peer Support Team, among others.

During his career, Kenny developed a deep appreciation and sympathy for the mental health challenges that face so many, especially first responders. The loss of a close friend to su***de just seventeen days after meeting for lunch in 2020 led him to begin Operation Yellow Tape. Kenny is passionate about, and continues to advocate for, first responders who have experienced and are struggling with their own cumulative traumatic stress, critical incidents, family issues, and PTSI. He has spoken at several conferences and organizations across the country since 2022, along with numerous podcast appearances and has his own Operation Yellow Tape Podcast assisting thousands inside and outside the yellow tape.

You can learn more about the event and our other award winners by visiting our website at fullcirclegc.org/living-your-dash or click our link in bio. 🔗

03/20/2026

March is National Social Work Month, so we are super pumped to take the time to acknowledge the indispensable work that our MSW and LCSW folks do here at Full Circle! 💪

We have so many social workers among our ranks here, and in our community beyond, we literally could not do the work we do without them. If you have a favorite Full Circle social worker, let us know the comments below! We love all of them equally, so we can't pick any favorites. They're all kind, amazing, dedicated people that provide so much for the community everyday. 💙

💪 Our Amazing Social Workers 💪
Jess
Carrie
Shannon
Karen K.
Casey
Karen C.
Laura
Jillian
Blayre

03/17/2026

We are thrilled to be partnering with our friends and neighbors at Rare Olde Times Public House for today, St. Patrick's Day! Sláinte!🍀

The folks at Rare Olde Times have kindly offered up for us to be the beneficiaries of their St. Patrick's Day celebration. This means that you'll see some friendly Full Circle faces manning the door AND that Full Circle will receive a generous donation from the cover charge provided. 🍻

If you're looking for a place to celebrate all things Éire, with live music all day, good food, drinks, and plenty of company, head over to Rare Olde Times and tell them Full Circle sent you! 💚

03/12/2026

The loss of a furry (or feathery, or scaly) family member is one that we don't take lightly here at Full Circle, and we can only hope that others feel the same. 🐾

Our latest staff blog comes from our Grief Services Director, Carrie Schaeffer, LCSW, as she discusses the unique and challenging emotions that can arise after the loss of a pet. 💙

Pet loss, she suggests, can be seen as a kind of "disenfranchised" grief, meaning that the loss of a pet can often go unacknowledged by larger society.

To read more, follow our link below our link in bio. 🔗

Full Circle Staff Blog | Grieving the Loss of A Pet
https://fullcirclegc.org/2026/03/04/grieving-the-loss-of-a-pet/

03/10/2026

🎉Tickets are officially on sale for our Annual Living Your Dash Luncheon! 🎉

This event brings attention to a seemingly insignificant mark – the dash. That dash signifies something important — your time here on Earth. During the luncheon, we share stories and celebrate people who are fully living their dash and turning life’s challenges into something meaningful. We celebrate those who have been moved by their mission or desire to make a difference. We honor resiliency, hope, and growth.

Our program includes our inspirational speaker, Marisa Renee Lee , award-winning author of Grief is Love and Waiting for Dawn, Living Your Dash award winners from our local community including Adri Herron of Sanctuary Rescue , Lt. Kenny Mitchell of Operation Yellow Tape, Samuel Veney of Philly Vegan , and Kathy Wrenn of Illume Family Recovery .

ALSO: Help us pack the room for our fantastic inspirational speaker, Marisa Renee Lee! The first 40 tickets sold will include a FREE copy of her new book, Waiting for Dawn. We expect these to go fast, so don't wait! Qualifying attendees will receive an e-mail with further instructions on how to claim your copy of Marisa's book after purchasing their tickets.

Our goal is to raise $65,000 to ensure our ongoing grief support groups remain free of charge to those grieving in our community. You can support our goal by attending the event, becoming a sponsor, or by making a donation.

For tickets and event details, please visit our website below or follow the link in our bio!

Full Circle Grief Center's Living Your Dash Luncheon
https://fullcirclegc.org/living-your-dash/

(📸 Last year's event photography generously provided by the talented team.)

03/08/2026

We don't say it often, but when we do, we mean it: we are a nonprofit organization led by women. It's not a small thing for us at Full Circle to honor both women's history month (March!) and International Women's Day (today!).

From our founder, to our leadership team, to our clinical folks, our staff, volunteers, partners and clients -- we are proud to be built by, and work in community with, so many women across our whole organization.

So, if you're a woman with ties to Full Circle, past or present, this one's for you. This day and this whole month is meant to serve as a chance to reflect on the accomplishments and influence of women internationally, and in your own community.

On a smaller scale, we're taking today as one brief opportunity to highlight all the ways in which women work, together, for a better and kinder future, here at Full Circle. 💪 💙 🌎

Special shout outs to two of our favorite creative ladies: Sunny Stack Goode at LOVEVOLVE for our mural and Cat McCarthy Creative for our Living Your Dash photography!

(Bonus points if you can spot our FC alumnus Cam, who is definitely celebrating International Women's Day in solidarity.) 👀

03/06/2026

We are excited to announce sponsorship opportunities for our Annual Living Your Dash Luncheon on Thursday, April 23, 2026! Sponsorship levels range from $500 up to $2,500 depending on what part of the event you'd like to support. 🎉

We also have the ever-popular Friends and Family Table Sponsorships for a group of eight ($1,000) and Corporate Table Sponsorships for eight group members ($2,000).

(Want the inside scoop on tables? General ticket sales won't be for a little while longer, and our Friends and Family Table Sponsorships SOLD OUT last year in record time! We only have TWO of this type left, so don't wait until it's too late!) 👀

If you are interested in sponsoring a specific part of Living Your Dash or have any questions, please contact Allison Schooley at allison.schooley@fullcircleg.org or check out our website linked below, or at our link in bio!

Full Circle Grief Center's Living Your Dash Luncheon
https://fullcirclegc.org/living-your-dash/

03/04/2026

🌸 Spring Support Groups 🌸 Our Spring groups for 2026 begin in March, April, and May and are open for registration. We have seats available in all of our groups, so please register at our website if you or someone you know may benefit from joining us. These groups are offered for FREE at no cost to participants. Pre-registration is required.

💙 Overdose and Substance Use-Related Loss Group | Thursdays, begins March 12

💙 Young Adult Loss Group | Ongoing, meets virtually April 7

💙 Perinatal Loss Group | Tuesdays, begins April 14

💙 Widow, Widower, and Partner Loss Group | Tuesday, begins April 7

💙 Su***de Loss Group | Wednesdays, begins May 6

💙 Overdose and Substance Use-Related Loss Group | Thursdays, begins May 7

For more information on these groups, visit our website below or our link in bio. 🔗

Full Circle Grief Center | Support Groups
https://fullcirclegc.org/support-groups

Address

5511 Staples Mill Road, Suite 301
Richmond, VA
23228

Website

http://fullcirclegc.org/

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