We are very pleased to announce the launch of a new service offering bereavement counselling and art therapy to children and young people who have been affected by the death of a loved one.
The bereavement support for children aged five to 16 is tailored to individual needs and is being offered by our counsellors and art therapist.
For children aged five to 11, weekly 90-minute group sessions held over an eight-week period, will offer an opportunity for children to meet peers in similar circumstances to them and engage in creative activities to explore their emotions and feelings around the loss of their loved one at the hospice.
These sessions - which will be held at our Ecclesall Road South site - will be run by art therapist Abbie Parry and the counselling team led by Deb Solomon, with the support of the charity’s trained volunteers.
The team will also be offering one-to-one counselling and art therapy for young people aged 12 to 16.
“This new service follows a pilot project that demonstrated very clearly that there is a real need for counselling support among children who have lost a loved one at the hospice,” said our Head of Allied Health Professionals Faye Costello.
“These sessions will offer an opportunity to learn about death in an age-appropriate way and to understand the effects of grief and embrace a variety of responses at the same time as honouring the memory of a loved one.
“We also hope that the support we offer will help build emotional resilience, creating a safe space for children to express their feelings and enabling them to meet and interact with peers who are also grieving and tell their own stories of grief and loss.”
More information is available by calling our Bereavement Team on 0114 235 7656.