SGC is built on the belief that grief shared in the right container can be genuinely healing — and that the container only works if everyone inside it feels safe. The guidelines below are what make that possible. Please read through them carefully, because they aren't just formalities. They reflect how we protect each other in this space every single day.
 

Trauma-Informed Sharing

One of the most important ways we protect each other in this community is through trauma-informed sharing. This means we share our experiences in ways that don't inadvertently re-traumatize ourselves or others.

Here's what that looks like in practice:
 

You're welcome to share things like:

• "My sibling died by suicide, and I remember the shock of getting that phone call"

• "I experienced abuse growing up, which affects how I process grief now"

• "The circumstances of my sibling's death were traumatic for our family"

• The impact of what happened — the feelings, the weight of it, what it changed

Please avoid sharing:

• Graphic details of how a death occurred

• Detailed descriptions of traumatic events or violence

• Step-by-step accounts of abuse

• Specific methods or graphic imagery
   

When trauma details are shared without the right therapeutic setting, they can re-traumatize the person sharing and activate trauma responses in others. This isn't about censoring your story — it's about sharing it in a way that promotes healing rather than harm. You can always share the significance and impact of your experience without sharing the graphic details. Your story matters, and so does everyone's safety.
 

If you need space to process traumatic details more fully, I offer individual trauma-informed sessions. The SGC is designed for community connection and mutual support — individual sessions are where we can go deeper.

Community Guidelines

1. What's shared here, stays here. This is a private community, and confidentiality is non-negotiable. The stories shared in this space belong to the people who shared them. Please don't screenshot, share, or reference another member's grief outside of SGC — not even with good intentions.
 

2. No advice unless someone asks for it. When someone shares their grief, they are almost never asking to be fixed. Please resist the urge to offer suggestions, reframes, or silver linings unless someone explicitly asks for them. "That must be so hard" is almost always the right response. "Have you tried..." is almost never the right response.
 

3. No graphic details around the death. Please refer back to the trauma-informed sharing guidelines above. When in doubt, share the impact rather than the details.
 

4. No comparing or ranking grief. There is no hierarchy of loss here. A sudden death is not worse than a long illness. A complicated relationship is not less worthy of grief than a close one. Please don't compare your grief to someone else's or suggest that anyone should be further along, more grateful, or handling things differently.
 

These guidelines exist because everyone inside this community is carrying something heavy, and the least we can do is make sure this space doesn't add to that weight.

If you're ever unsure whether something you want to share fits within these guidelines, please reach out to me directly before posting. I would much rather have that conversation than have someone in the group feel harmed.

Once you've read through everything, please click the link below to confirm that you've received, read, and understood these community guidelines