St. Mary’s College student collaborates with Chesapeake Life Center for grief study

Lily Bennear, a rising senior psychology major at St. Mary’s College of Maryland, is working with the grief experts at Chesapeake Life Center on a research project that blends values exploration with grief education. Entitled “Direction and Grief: The efficacy of a values-based workshop for recently bereaved people,” the study will examine how personal life goals can provide a structured way to navigate periods of life transition, such as in the wake of the death of a loved one.

The study will use a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures, including grief symptom scales, values-based action scales, and open-ended survey questions, to capture a holistic understanding of participants’ experiences.

The data for the study will come from a series of workshops facilitated by professional grief counselors from the Chesapeake Life Center. Participants will be asked to attend one of five sessions: 5 to 7 p.m. May 12; 1 to 3 p.m. or 5 to 7 p.m. May 13; or 1 to 3 p.m. or 5 to 7 p.m. May 14. To ensure accessibility, the workshops will be conducted virtually via Zoom, so people from diverse backgrounds and locations can join.

Born and raised in St. Mary’s County and a graduate of Leonardtown High School, Bennear is conducting her project as part of the Seahawk Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF). The initiative is rooted in her interest in clinical interventions and her desire to explore values-based approaches that are often overlooked in traditional therapeutic settings.

The workshop uses a graphic organizer developed by Bennear, called a Values Web, to help participants operationalize, or put into action, their personal values. Sessions combine grief education, group discussion and activities, allowing attendees to reflect on what is important in their lives and how to move forward intentionally.

“At its core, this workshop is about helping people identify what matters most to them,” Bennear said. “Life transitions can leave us in a state of limbo. Our routines and sense of self are disrupted. This is when values-based work can be most enriching, giving people the tools to rebuild purposefully.”

Bennear cites personal inspiration for the project. Her mother, a grief counselor, introduced her to the transformative potential of structured grief support, and her own experience in group therapy highlighted the impact of collaborative learning and shared reflection.

“I hope this research not only helps participants navigate grief but also serves as a foundation for further studies on values interventions,” Bennear said. “These tools can be applied to a wide range of life transitions, helping people find direction and meaning when their daily lives are disrupted.”

Participants interested in joining the study or learning more about the workshop can click here https://bit.ly/ValuesBasedStudy or email Bennear at lgbennear@smcm.edu.

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Chesapeake Life Center, a program service of Hospice of the Chesapeake, serves hospice family members and the community with bereavement services and activities aimed at enhancing the quality of life for those grieving the loss of a loved one. For details, visit www.chesapeakelifecenter.org.