Contact: Kathy Leonard, Editorial Director, Church Initiative, 919-562-2112, ext 130, kleonard@churchinitiative.org

WAKE FOREST, NC, Nov. 18 /Christian Newswire/ -- People in the middle of separation or divorce often face Thanksgiving and Christmas with dread. Long-standing family traditions are shattered; the hope and joy that normally accompany the season are replaced by loneliness and depression. This year's economic downturn will add even more pressure on people who are separated or divorced and facing already-difficult financial circumstances.

DivorceCare, an international network of divorce recovery support groups, has launched a special hope-filled "Surviving the Holidays" website to offer practical tools and suggestions designed to help a separated or divorced person construct a healthy approach to the holiday season. The website can be found at www.divorcecare.org/holidays.

The DivorceCare Surviving the Holidays website includes practical, actionable strategies that will help separated and divorced people:

- Reduce stress

- Minimize loneliness

- Manage tight budgets

- Establish new traditions

- Help children adjust to new family dynamics

- Help others in need

- Focus on the true meaning of the holidays

The DivorceCare Surviving the Holidays website features an extensive collection of online videos with advice from top experts on how to survive the holiday season, and the real-life stories of people who've experienced the challenges of Thanksgiving and Christmas while going through a divorce.

"It's not unusual for a person going through separation or divorce to face the holiday season with dread. Many anticipate a dark, depressing experience as they face the weeks ahead of and during the holidays," said DivorceCare founder Steve Grissom. "We've designed this material to help restore joy and optimism to Thanksgiving and Christmas, even in the middle of a divorce. The information is not complicated -- it consists of simple steps a person can take to make the holidays manageable and even enjoyable."

About DivorceCare
DivorceCare is a network of nearly 12,000 churches worldwide equipped to offer divorce recovery support groups. A searchable database of DivorceCare groups is located on the web at www.divorcecare.org. DivorceCare is a ministry of Church Initiative of Wake Forest, NC.

For further information, contact:

Kathy Leonard
Editorial Director
Church Initiative
kleonard@churchinitiative.org 
919-562-2112, x. 130

PO Box 1739
Wake Forest, NC 27588
www.churchinitiative.org