Introducing from Bellis…
Stronger Together Peer Support Model™ Facilitator Training Program
Compassionate Support for People Whose Children Are Parented by Others
At Bellis, we provide grief support to women and men whose children are parented by others—primarily due to termination of parental rights, transfer of legal custody, foster care, custody disputes, parental alienation, and similar circumstances. Our programming supports these individuals who are experiencing ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief. Bellis is the only organization in the country offering this unique form of care.
Our approach helps participants experience:
Reduction in shame, isolation, and anxiety
Stronger identity and connection
Greater sense of self-worth
Our Reach and Partnerships
Bellis currently offers 6 weekly online peer support groups, reaching participants from:
47 out of 50 U.S. states
Canada
United Kingdom
We also partner with several organizations in Minnesota serving similar populations, including:
Northwest Indian Community Development Center
Hennepin County Adult Probation Services
Hennepin County Project CHILD
Minnesota Correctional Facility – Shakopee
Our weekly groups are funded by individual donations and grants as we grow our national partnerships using our proprietary Stronger Together Peer Support Model™, owned and operated by Bellis.
A New Opportunity for Your Organization
After four years of development, research, and implementation, we are proud to offer the Bellis Stronger Together Peer Support™ Facilitator Training Program to organizations across the country.
This new model allows organizations to train their own licensed professionals (social workers, therapists, or parent educators) to deliver Bellis Stronger Together Peer Support™ groups internally. If your organization does not employ a qualified licensed professional, Bellis can provide a licensed, trauma-informed professional to facilitate a group to benefit your organization.
Training Includes:
Two-day facilitator training with CEUs
Bellis Stronger Together Peer Support™ Manual
Online portal with videos, message boards, and updates
Dedicated support line for one-on-one help
Quarterly facilitator community meetings
Annual observation and support from Bellis staff
Annual Bellis Conference with program updates and CEU opportunities
Let’s Connect
If you believe Bellis Stronger Together Peer Support™ programming could enhance your organization’s services, we welcome you to contact us.
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Since November 2022, our partnership at Minnesota Correctional Facility – Shakopee has been a success. We aim to replicate this model at correctional facilities across the country.
With support from the University of Minnesota Medical School and a grant from the Clinical and Translational Science Institute, Bellis is studying the impact of our programming on the mental health of incarcerated women.
What Participants Are Saying:
“This group has helped me in my healing process and realizing that I am not alone.”
“The facilitator made this a safe space, she is so respectful and caring towards us and our experiences.”
“When I’m in this group, I’m not in prison.”
Results from Shakopee Participants:
100% of participants reported their experiences with Stronger Together as good or excellent
97% of participants reported that participation in Stronger Together helped them process their grief around not actively parenting
95% of participants reported that participation in Stronger Together helped them process their feelings around family relationships
Lori Timlin, Parenting Coordinator at MCF-Shakopee, explains:
“Many women identify the loss of their children as a trigger for drug use and criminal involvement. They have not had an opportunity to therapeutically address the guilt and shame. Those who participated are visibly lighter, having gained a sense of hope and greater control over their futures.”
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Since April 2021, Bellis has offered expert-led, peer support groups both in-person and online for people whose children are parented by others.
What Participants Are Saying:
“I am learning how to ask for help and find healthy support. I am gaining confidence and self-worth. I have hope for a future.”
“Bellis is the only support group of this kind that I have found. When I lost rights to one of my children I almost didn't survive. Bellis give me a chance to empathize and get support from others who have similar experiences.”
“I thought I’d never have a space to freely talk about my grief related to my experiences with CPS and my son being parented by someone else. Being able to talk out loud with others who get it, instead of keeping my thoughts locked up inside is a release that I'm not quite sure how to put into words.”
“How on earth am I able to live mentally on this planet without the support of Bellis? That’s why I keep coming back. I need this group.”
“Every interaction I’ve had with Bellis has healed me in some way.”
Results from Community Participants:
95% satisfied with the program overall
95% feel better equipped to deal with stress
92% feel less alone
77% experience a decrease in feelings of shame
70% experience an increased sense of calm
Ann Gaasch, CEO, FamilyWise, explains:
“Having worked directly with families in the child welfare system for over thirty years, I have seen the intergenerational impacts for families when a parent’s rights are terminated. It is a loss like no other, compounded by the feelings of isolation, guilt and shame. The cost to the parent and to the children is immeasurable, and there is a corresponding cost to our community as a whole. I had been looking for a resource to support women in this situation for at least a decade, knowing that their grief experience is unique and that healing that trauma is complicated. Bellis is able to bring a unique skillset and expertise to this work. They have led groups that have transformed the lives of the women participating. Their model works.
Many people are talking about and working on transforming the child welfare system, and Bellis is actually doing it.”