Rebuilders (Fisher Model) — Free Divorce & Breakup Support Groups
Rebuilders runs secular, evidence-based divorce and breakup recovery support groups based on Bruce Fisher’s classic Rebuilding Blocks model. The 10-week program guides participants through fifteen rebuilding blocks — denial, fear, loneliness, friendship, guilt, grief, anger, letting go, self-worth, transition, openness, love, trust, relatedness, and freedom — using a combination of structured discussion, peer support, and reflective exercises. Groups meet across the United States in person and online.
What to Expect
Each Rebuilders group follows the 10-week curriculum drawn from Fisher’s Rebuilding: When Your Relationship Ends. Sessions run about two hours per week, combining brief content presentations with structured small-group discussion. Members work through the rebuilding blocks in sequence, building emotional and practical foundations as they go. The facilitators are typically trained group leaders, often people who have been through divorce themselves and gone on to lead others through the curriculum. Rebuilders is intentionally non-religious — a strong fit for people looking for secular divorce recovery community.
Who This Group Is For
Rebuilders welcomes anyone recovering from the end of a significant romantic relationship — divorce, separation, or breakup. The program serves people in the early shock stage, people in the middle of legal proceedings, and people years out who never fully processed the end of the relationship. Members include men and women of all ages and backgrounds. Many participants describe the structured 10-week format as particularly helpful — it gives the experience a beginning, middle, and end rather than feeling like an open-ended slog.
Why Peer Support Works
Fisher’s Rebuilding model has been used by hundreds of thousands of people since the 1980s because it does two things at once: it gives the experience of relationship loss a clear framework, and it creates peer community around moving through that framework together. Members hear how other people are working with each rebuilding block, share their own attempts, and build genuine friendships in the process. The 10-week format also creates a natural sense of momentum — by week 10, most members can see how far they’ve come.
How to Join
Rebuilders groups vary in price by location, but many are free or low-cost. Visit rebuilders.net to find a group near you — the site lists in-person locations across multiple states and online groups available nationwide. You can also use the site to find out when the next cycle starts in your area. For the underlying material, Bruce Fisher’s book Rebuilding: When Your Relationship Ends is widely available and can be read alongside group participation.