“I was 49 years old and married for twenty years with two children, who were 17 and 15 at the time. I thought I had a solid marriage and was totally caught off guard when my wife told me she wanted a divorce. I was miserable and depression soon set in. My daughter told me she had heard about the Divorce Recovery Workshop from one of her group leaders at church. I attended in the spring of 1997 and it literally saved my life. I walked in the first night and found nearly 200 people who were going through the same thing that I was. It turned out to be a safe, reassuring environment to make new friends and get my life moving forward. My daughter even attended the Teen Workshop and she totally enjoyed it. I then became a Facilitator at the following session so that I could help others. I have been helping out at “DRW” ever since that time. Everyone involved with the program volunteers their time, including the Workshop Leader. I am always amazed at the transformation that occurs in the participants in the 6 short weeks of the program. They go from being gloom and silent to having the ability to talk and laugh with new friends. From Flan’s consistently appropriate lectures to the small group meetings, the program works. It’s too bad that more people who are going through a divorce do not know that this program exists or what it can do for you.”

“I attended DRW based on the recommendation of a friend who found it to be extremely helpful through his divorce. I am glad I took his advice! Although I attended DRW in the very early stages of my divorce, I found it gave me reassurance that I would survive! DRW also helped me to make some sense of what made no sense to me at that time of my life. I found DRW provided insight, hope, understanding and even laughter when it was most needed.”

“The most important thing I got from DRW was the feeling that I was not alone. I was in a destructive relationship which often creates isolation. You become suspended in this alternate reality that your life has dwindled down to. DRW helped me understand that my feelings were OK to have: that they were relevant; and not uncommon. This was all despite the fact that I was in the minority: I left my spouse. Most others in my group had been left by their partners. I was able to share or just listen; after each evening’s topic when we broke out into smaller sessions, it was very helpful to listen to others’ experiences, emotion, and coping mechanisms. It was also great to have a true mix; male and female perspectives, newly divorced and not so newly, and a diverse age group. This all helped lessen the blow somehow. It made me feel part of the world again. I had spent so much time with my (ex)husband that I did not have a sense of reality. DRW helped me find that.”

“DRW has helped me learn the difference between caring about my ex-husband as a human and no longer caring for him as my partner. I remember feeling that my situation was unique and that no one here would understand why my divorce was so painful even though we remained cordial and kind to each other. I learned early on that I was wrong – divorce is divorce, grief is grief, dealing with a former spouse is dealing with a former spouse.”

“DRW was a lifesaver. During my divorce process I felt very alone. It was wonderful to have somewhere to go every week and be with people who were going through what I was going through and understood my pain. The talks gave me hope and direction, but it was really in the small groups I found what I needed to start the healing process. There I found a safe environment that I could grow in and learn from. The group was so warm and welcoming. As I said above, I felt so alone. I cannot convey enough how helpful it was to go to DRW every week and see familiar faces and friends.”