Local support group helps those impacted by homicide

The Virginia Victim Assistance Network will host an online support group beginning Aug. 5 to help those impacted by homicide in Henrico County. The organization will hold virtual meetings via Zoom every other Wednesday until December.

“We want to reach out to as many people as we can and really mark this and let people let survivors know that these types of groups exist and how critical they are to the survivors,” said Dina Blyth, VVAN’s homicide survivors support group coordinator. The local group (one of 11 statewide) is now accepting registrations for the first meeting.

The groups, which are free for participants, are funded by a grant from the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services and private foundation support. They’re designed to help any friend or family member who has been directly affected by a homicide by discussing the grieving process, talking about different coping skills and how people can honor and remember their loved ones.

“We hope that people will be able to discover their challenges, identify their challenges, and in this group find ways to overcome those challenges,” said Allyson England Drake, executive director of Full Center Grief Center and counselor for Virginia Victim Assistance Network support groups. “The goal really is to help them be healthier mentally, physically and emotionally.”

Groups also help form connections among victims’ survivors so that they retain solid support systems once the group sessions ends.

“The hope is that people can. . . be that source of support for each other, even outside of the group,” England Drake said.

The Henrico group’s regular meeting time will be from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.

For details about the group or to register for it, visit https://vanetwork.org/.