The Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia – a Macon Violence Prevention (MVP) program partner – is hosting a free 10-week healing experience for 18 mothers who have lost a child. Better Together Circles™: Healing After Loss is being facilitated by its creator, Dr. Deirtre Cotton, and the Center is offering the community a chance to provide additional support for the mothers in their time of need.
“As a society, we bring casseroles to families when someone they love dies, but who is there for you weeks, months, and years later?” Christy Henry, Family Counseling Center Executive Director, posted after the first session. “Losing a child shows up very differently. We want these mothers to know their children will be remembered forever.”
“Taking care of our community means finding ways to stop tragedies from happening but also to support people affected long after when a tragedy occurs,” says Mayor Lester Miller. “This is a pain nobody should face alone, and I want people to know our community cares for them and is ready to support them.”
The Family Counseling Center has made the following opportunities available:
- Share a weekly meal for about 25: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/9d6d5v
- Shop our Amazon registry: https://a.co/0ey3qZlr. Have some of these items at home? We gladly welcome drop-offs at FCC or FCC staff will pick them up from you.
- Give a gift of any size: https://secure.qgiv.com/for/familycounselingcenterofcentralgeorgia
“I drove home with a full heart [after the first session], knowing this space truly matters,” says Christy. “With your support, we can open this circle to even more mothers in the cohorts to come.”
During the sessions, participants:
- Connect with other mothers who understand this unique kind of loss.
- Learn practical ways to navigate grief, difficult emotions, triggers, relationships, and significant dates.
- Honor the life, memory, and continuing impact of their child.
- Take part in guided conversations, journaling, creative expression, remembrance activities, peer connection, and meaningful healing experiences.
- Discover their voice, recognize the strength that still exists within them, and explore what healing and growth can look like alongside grief.
Mothers are never required to share more than they are comfortable sharing.
This cohort is already full, but Christy says enough mothers have shown an interest that they are beginning to plan for a second cohort to begin in early 2027. If you are a mother who has lost a child and would like more information or to join, call the Family Counseling Center at 478-745-2811.
The experience is guided by the Broken to Better Transformation Framework, developed by Dr. Deirtre Cotton. Throughout the journey, mothers are supported through acknowledgement, stabilization, healing, reframing, creative expression, repurposing, leadership development, and purpose and community impact.
The goal of Better Together Circles is to create a space where mothers can find their voices and turn their pain into passion and purpose. The goal is not to leave grief—or their children—behind, but to discover that love, remembrance, grief, healing, growth, and hope can exist in the same life.
Dr. Deirtre Cotton is the founder of Better After Being Broken, LLC and creator of the Broken to Better Transformation Framework. She holds a Doctorate in Pastoral Counseling and has more than 30 years of experience supporting individuals, women, and families through grief, trauma, addiction, life transitions, emotional healing, and personal transformation.
Dr. Cotton also brings lived experience to this work as a mother who has experienced the loss of a child.
About the Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia
Established in 1957 by the Junior League of Macon and the United Givers Fund (now United Way of Central Georgia), the Family Counseling Center of Central Georgia has been dedicated to preserving and strengthening the well-being of individuals and families within the community. As a private, nonprofit agency, it offers accessible and affordable professional counseling services, including therapy for individuals, couples, and families, as well as specialized programs to assist people in making life changes to improve their quality of life.
Over the years, the center has expanded its services to meet the evolving needs of the community. In 1997, it initiated the Central Georgia CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) program to support children in the juvenile court system. By 2000, Central Georgia CASA became a self-sufficient entity, continuing its mission to advocate for abused and neglected children.
Today, the Family Counseling Center remains committed to promoting a healthier society through easy access to professional mental health services, serving thousands of individuals across Central Georgia.
About the Macon Violence Prevention Program
Macon Violence Prevention is an evidence-based, multifaceted program created to address public safety in Macon-Bibb County. Supported and funded by the consolidated government, MVP is a community-wide effort that brings together elected officials, community leaders and representatives from more than 20 agencies, organizations, and departments.
The MVP program operates under the guidance of the MVP Strategic Plan, which was created in June of 2021 by community stakeholders and violent crime experts. The plan combines data and research with community feedback to identify and implement proven solutions that reduce violent crime and strengthen the community over time.
Since its inception, more than $2.5 million has been granted to local nonprofit and community organizations. From 2022 to 2025, the Macon-Bibb homicide rate dropped by 60%, and the youth homicide rate fell by 87%.