The Counseling and Student Development Center wants to mend students’ broken hearts.

Coping with Relationship Loss, a new discussion group intended to help students heal after losing romantic relationships, will begin March 21 and will end April 25. The group will be held every Friday from 1:30 to 3 p.m.

The group is the idea of both Paula Gibson, counseling intern at the CSDC, and Rebecca Weisenthal, a psychologist at the CSDC.

Gibson said the group is needed at NIU because young people often experience breakups, and some students are also having to go through divorces.

“Everybody has to deal with rejection,” Gibson said. “But people who have just experienced breakups or divorces often feel like they’ve lost who they are; their plans for the future are changed and they’re cut off from their old support systems.”

Jennifer Panning, a counselor at the CSDC, said a breakup or a divorce can be an extreme emotional stress that can trigger memories of negative past relationships.

Panning also said that feelings of depression, isolation and expressions of emotion like intense crying are normal at these times of high stress and change and should not be expected to disappear quickly.

Both Gibson and Panning hope the group will give students the support and understanding they need to get through their difficult times.

During each group session, participants will be able to share thoughts and feelings about their losses, and they’ll be encouraged to share doubts they have about themselves and explore reasons why their relationships didn’t succeed.

The group also will discuss ways to handle rejection and how to have healthy and fulfilling relationships in the future.

“You often can deal with your feelings on your own, but sharing them with a group eases the pain. A group makes you not feel so alone, and it gives you a chance to meet new people and learn from others’ experiences,” Gibson said.

There are other things people suffering from relationship loss can do to cope besides attending a discussion group.

Panning recommends spending time with friends and others you feel comfortable with who will give you permission to be sad.

She also recommends doing things to help others, like volunteering and getting involved in a club or a religious organization.

The CSDC is looking for six to eight students to start the group, but if more are interested, several groups might be formed.

Students who are interested should call the CSDC at 753-1206 at least two weeks before the group begins.