A Mother’s Cry: Support group for mothers impacted by violence – WRTV Indianapolis

INDIANAPOLIS — As the number of homicides in Indianapolis continues to rise this summer, family members are left behind grieving the loss of their loved one.

A support system within Indianapolis is connecting mothers who share a common bond and unfortunately, a pain they don’t wish on any other mother.

“A Mother’s Cry, what we try to do is provide an atmosphere where the mothers can feel safe to come in and share their stories,” Sheila Dunlop, a member whose son was killed in May of 2014, said.

A Mother’s Cry is a group made up of mothers from all across Indianapolis. Mothers who have lost a child to violence.

“It’s helped me a lot,” Dunlop said. “I have a place where I can go with my grief, where I don’t feel judged.”

Before Dunlop joined A Mother’s Cry in 2014, after her son’s passing, the grief was so heavy that she didn’t know where to turn for help.

“I felt alone — I really didn’t know what to think, or do, because that was my baby boy,” Dunlop said. “It was just a lot, that’s why when A Mother’s Cry came along, it felt good because I had hope. Somewhere to go.”

The group meets every third Saturday of the month at the East 38th Street library. At this time, there are around 15 members, but group leaders know there are other mothers that need support.

“A lot of them feel that sock and disbelief. A lot of mother’s struggle with guilt,” Crystal Hicks, a psychologist who works with mothers, said.

Hicks teaches the mothers the importance of self-care, processing emotions, and how to develop coping skills.

“What happened to them matters, and there is a place they can come to find refuge. There are mothers who have been on this journey for a while, and they may be able to draw strength from them,” Hicks said. “When you talk about what you’ve been through, it can help you process it.”

Hicks wants mothers who are feeling this pain to know there is a group for them that can help as they continue grieving the loss of their child.

A Mother’s Cry is a part of the Ross Foundation. If you would like to be apart of the group, register online at therossfoundationcommunity.org, as the location for the gathering does change from time to time.