This is my debut to society again. Westover is among an estimated 50,000 people in the Denver metro area, nearly 1 million worldwide, who have participated in Rebuilding Seminars, a 10-week support group for men and women recovering from divorce or the end of a relationship. The seminars are the brainchild of Bruce Fisher, a Boulder divorce therapist who, after his own divorce in 1974, developed a 19-step program for recovery, and a book to accompany it. His final months were documented in the Daily Camera as a means to educate the public about hospice care. Among divorce therapists and their patients, Fisher's legacy is undying.
Freedom is on the very top.
Each three-hour session focuses on a block or two, using movie clips, songs, exercises and group discussions to take a closer look at the emotions. Trained volunteers lead the small group discussions, notifying the facilitator if a participant is unexpectedly absent or seems they may be contemplating suicide. The seminar is held at a different participant's house once a week, and participants do homework, reading passages from the book, writing in their journals, and taking part in self-improvement exercises. Members are assigned other members to call or visit with to check in and offer support. They gather for hikes, dinners, and nights on the town, compare notes on their reading assignment, trade names and numbers for good lawyers and therapists.