A multi-level program which offers information, guidance, emotional support and community to support recovery after the ending of a significant love relationship, developing a healthier self-esteem as well as ideas for conducting a healthier vetting process once you decide to move back into the dating world.
If you are ending a committed relationship, whether through divorce or through separation, Rebuilding offers a safe space to find information, guidance, emotional support and friendship. Through the Rebuilding process you will learn a great deal about yourself, your past relationships as well as develop a new awareness of your own personal growth potential.
The Rebuilding when your Relationship Ends program
The Rebuilding program has been designed to help individuals recover from the loss of a significant love relationship. This program goes beyond just a support group as as it is designed as a recovery program and is managed and facilitated by licensed professional mental health providers. This program offers three levels of support which helps individuals transition to letting-go and moving forward faster than with individual therapy alone. These are as follows:
Genesis
This support group meets on Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. ( Call for new location as it is changing) in Madison. Attendance can range from 3 or 4 to 15 participants.
Some individuals participate in this group because they have either just decided to end their committed relationship or they have learned that it is being ended. As a result, they may be feeling overwhelmed or are experiencing a sense of panic or shock. Participants in this group often express strong feelings of sadness, fear, guilt, rejection or anger and are looking for a safe place to process these feelings. This support group helps individuals to begin to cope with the loss.
Other individuals participate in Genesis because they are waiting for the next Rebuilding seminar to begin. Genesis is coordinated and facilitated by Kirk Stone, MS, LPC-IT. Individuals should call to schedule a brief orientation before coming to this group. Contact Margaret Lambert at 608-204-6076 to set up a time to do so.
Participation in Genesis is $35 for the evening and needs to be paid in advance in order to receive the zoom link. Click here to register.
Rebuilding Seminar
This seminar is based on Dr. Bruce Fisher’s best-selling book Rebuilding: When Your Relationship Ends. It meets on Tuesday evenings at Sonas Behavioral Health, LLC Sonas Behavioral Health at 6402 Odana Road on the west side of Madison, Wisconsin from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. It is offered as a hybrid version so individuals from out of the area can log in via Zoom while local individuals can attend in-person. The seminar focuses on fourteen of the nineteen stumbling blocks of the divorce recovery process. (Weekly Topics for this class.) The Rebuilding Seminar is coordinated and facilitated by Margaret Lambert, MSW, LCSW.
Class size is limited to 8 participants so advance registration is recommended as the class fills up quickly. Partial Scholarships are available but must be requested in advance. Download the class brochure/registration form or contact Margaret at 608-204-6076.
Calendar of Upcoming Dates:
Winter: January 17, 2024
Spring: April 16, 2024
Summer: June 4, 2024
Fall: October 8, 2024
Movin’ On
This group is intended for graduates of the Rebuilding Seminar as well as graduates of the other seminars. This social networking group, managed and facilitated by volunteer graduates of the Rebuilding Seminar, allows members to continue to connect and build friendships which will help them reconnect with their community as a single individual.
What the Rebuilding Program Is Not
- This program is for support and education only and at no time to be a replacement for individual psychotherapy. Participants are encouraged to take what they are learning from the program into their personal therapy sessions.
- This program is not a dating service. In fact, all participants are asked to sign a simple contract agreeing not to date anyone within the program while participating in the program and, dating in general while participating in the program is highly discouraged as dating tends to distract the individual and the other members of the group from the purpose of the program: recovering from a broken relationship.
What you can expect to gain from participation in the Rebuilding Seminar
The ending of a significant relationship can be a challenging time in your life for which you were never required to navigate before. This can leave one feeling ill prepared and stuck in a cycle of grief; moving through denial and fear, through depression or anger, on to loneliness and deep sadness. For many, their community of family or friends provide limited or no emotional, social or physical support during this transition, leaving you feeling unsupported and alone.
At times those same friends and family may want to help but offer advice that is well intended yet misguided. It isn’t uncommon to hear people tell you to “just get over it”, “move on and start dating so you can find a new person who will make you happy again.” Yet, without taking the time to rest from being in a relationship long enough to reflect on it and to learn what caused it to break down, you may find yourself repeating unhealthy dating and relationship patterns which could just send you down this road of pain in the future. This is where the Rebuilding seminar can offer that information, guidance, emotional support and community that can provide some hope for a better and healthier future.
So what can you expect from the Rebuilding seminar?
- First and foremost you will have the guidance of a professional mental provider who has been trained in the Rebuilding process. Some support groups are conducted by non-professional volunteers who have participated in the support group in the past. This can be helpful to some degree as such a program can help you cope with the situation. However, a trained mental health provider not only provides emotional support but can teach skills and offer tools to help you heal and move on with a healthier perspective. Our providers are trained in Family Systems work, Solution Brief Therapy as well as Cognitive-Behaviors therapy. Margaret was trained by Dr. Bruce Fisher to facilitate the Rebuilding Seminar and has 26 years of experience with the Rebuilding process.
- Participation in the Rebuilding seminar will help you to reduce any anger, sadness, fear or anxiety that is common as one begins the uncoupling process.
- The Rebuilding seminar provides a deep dive into specific topics such as denial, fear, grief, loneliness, family of origin issues, guilt, rejection, self-worth, learning to let go and move on, trust, power struggles which can be part of any relationship, love as well as dealing with the ‘shoulds’ one has carried along with them since childhood.
- The 10-week Rebuilding Seminar is meticulously designed to accelerate your recovery from the ending of a significant relationship, empowering you to reclaim joy and confidence in weeks—not years. The program is a well-balanced blend of reading and journaling as well as extensive in-class lecture and exercises, and engaging social activities, all developed to establish a community of trust and possibly develop long-term friendships.
- You will be given the opportunity to take a pre and post survey which will show you the progress you have made during the 10-weeks in the areas of self-worth, grief, letting-go, and anger. This information can help you better focus any future work if you continue in the therapeutic process.
- Finally, with the information and guidance you will be less likely to repeat any unhealthy relationship patterns.
Location of the Rebuilding Seminar, the Dating Dementia seminar and the Beyond the Looking Glass seminar:
All are offered at Sonas Behavioral Health at 6402 Odana Road on Madison’s west side. All seminars are now offered as a hybrid model so individuals from the Greater Madison area can participate in-person along with individuals out of the area or even from other states.
Class Fees
Participation in Genesis is $35 a night and needs to be paid in advance in order to receive the zoom link. Click here to register.
Participation in Movin’ On is free. However, you must have graduated from one of the seminars in order to participate in this portion of the program.
The cost of the Rebuilding Seminar is $450.00 and this includes the required book, workbook, scoring of the pre and post FDAS-Fisher Divorce Adjustment Survey as well as 1-hour of personal telephone consultation with Margaret. There are a limited number of partial scholarships available to individuals who would not be able to attend due to financial struggles. Click here to register.
Cancellations received at least ten days prior to the start date of the class are refundable, minus a $50.00 administrative charge per registrant. There is no refund for cancellations received once class begins; however, a credit will be issued toward a future class. A full refund will be issued to any participant who has registered to attend a class that needs to be cancelled by the facilitator.
Payment Options For The Rebuilding Seminar
If you are paying the full amount of $450.00 you have the option to pay by credit card/PayPal or by check (download a brochure with a registration form to send in with your check). If you’re registering less than 7 days prior to the first night of class, please contact Margaret first to make sure there is room still open in the class. Class size is limited and it tends to fill up quickly.
If paying by check please make checks payable to Margaret Lambert and mail to Puffins Presentations, LLC at P.O. Box 704, Sun Prairie, WI 53590
If you are interested in one of the limited partial scholarships you will need to contact Margaret in advance of registering to make sure there is still a scholarship available.
