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Support for grieving mothers

After the loss of parental rights, grief can overwhelm all other areas of life - for years. We’re here to help, with in-person and online expert-led, peer-based support groups. Complete this brief form. You’ll hear from us shortly. All services are available to participants at no cost.

To talk with someone soon, call or text our Stronger Together Support Line™ at 833-4BELLIS (833-423-5547).

“Your kindness has helped heal some wounds within myself. Thank you.”

Our approach

Expert-led, peer-based support can be one of the most effective ways to learn to manage grief felt by women whose children are parented by others. Participants in Bellis support groups often report feeling calmer, more supported, empowered, and less alone and ashamed.

These benefits can lead to stronger self-worth and self-advocacy, improving the individual’s life, family interactions, employment, and other factors.

Bellis hosts weekly support groups, independent from the county and court systems. Facilitated by licensed professionals, our groups offer a safe space for honest conversations, affirmation, and accountability among mothers who “get it.” Our Stronger Together Peer Support Model™ serves a growing national network of women.

Complete this brief form to get started.

To talk with someone soon, call or text our Stronger Together Support Line™ at 833-4BELLIS (833-423-5547).

The details

  • All groups serve mothers who have experienced termination or transfer of parental rights - or similar. Participants bring a full spectrum of circumstances. Their common ground is grief - and how to move ahead without parenting some or all of their children. Specifically, the groups serve women for whom the legal determination is final.

  • In-person group meets every Tuesday from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at 3249 Hennepin Ave. S., Suite 103, Minneapolis. Transportation assistance is available in the Twin Cities area. Limited legal guidance is available most Tuesdays thanks to a partnership with Mitchell Hamline School of Law.

  • Online groups are available for women nationwide. For privacy, facilitators will ask that participants join the online meetings from a private space, with no children or others able to hear the conversation or see other participants. Your story is safe with Bellis - and that takes teamwork. Each Monday, we send an email to all who have contacted us. The email includes all the necessary information to attend any group. To receive emails, please complete this brief form.

    • New! Monday group meets at 6:30 p.m. central time and is specifically for Indigenous mothers whose children are parented by others. This group is led by a licensed Indigenous woman who believes the mother who heals in this lifetime also heals the generations to come because, in her wellness, she is able to bring healing and wellness to her community. In a different time zone? Click here for a Time Zone Converter

    • Tuesday group meets at 7 p.m. central time. In a different time zone? Click here for a Time Zone Converter

    • Thursday group meets at 12 p.m. central time and is focused on grief and skills/confidence building for mothers whose parental rights have been terminated in the past and now have interaction with children (such as a new baby, new relationships with their children after a separation, a partner's children, etc.). In a different time zone? Click here for a Time Zone Converter

  • No eligibility requirements. But peer-based support may not be suitable for everyone and is not a substitute for targeted services, including therapy. Please read about the benefits and limitations of peer-based support.

  • Complete this brief form to get started.

“I’m so tired of being ashamed. I want to let it go and forgive myself.” - Group participant

We invite you to invest in Bellis today if, like us and our supporters, this work matters to you.

What do program participants say? Click here to listen to Jessica’s story.

“In my journey over the last year, Bellis became very, very special to me, and they improved my life so much… Most of all, they gave me hope again. That was huge.”

Spread the word

We invite you to invest in Bellis today if, like us and our supporters, this work matters to you.

We are grateful to our supporters who make this valuable, groundbreaking work possible—who believe in compassion, hope and resilience for mothers. Thank you to the Sauer Family Foundation, the Medica Foundation, UCare, and the League of Catholic Women.

We invite you to invest in Bellis today if, like us and our supporters, this work matters to you.