Children’s Grief Support
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For over 20 years, central Oregon residents have been going to Partners In Care for healthcare support for everything from physical therapy to bereavement support. The agency offers a unique healthcare experience with a focus on relationships, encouraging patients to work collaboratively with the health care workers to make care and end-of-life decisions.
Partners In Care offers hospice, at home and in their own Hospice House; in-home healthcare; “Transitions volunteers” who help people cope with life with a serious illness; and many community programs, including children’s grief support through art.
Creating art can be a a huge help to children who are grieving, offering a valuable outlet for a grief that they may not understand. The Elaine Litman Endowment for Art in Bereavement has provided a foundation for the arts in Partners In Care’s children’s bereavement program.
The agency offers the following programs for grieving children to be surrounded by their peers sharing the same experience, and express their feelings and heal through the creation of art:
School-based Grief Groups:
An eight-week program, one day a week for one hour, in the school setting to give grieving children or adolescents a safe place to be with others in similar grief experiences. The curriculum covers feelings, coping strategies and identifying positive support, using art, music and play.
My Friend’s House:
An eight-week program, one day a week for ninety minutes. This program is
tailored to work with the family unit; i.e.: the grieving child, siblings, parents, grandparents, and caregivers. Adults and children meet in separate groups. Through art, music and play, children focus on feelings, coping strategies, and identifying positive support. The adults focus on understanding the unique needs of the children and how they can help. Additional support is provided to the adults, giving insight into understanding their own grief and providing a support network to help them through the process.
Camp Courage:
A four-day summer art camp, providing a safe and healing environment where children can share and express their feelings of loss and grief through art. This camp allows the children a fun and safe environment to explore, express and share their grief journey with others their age.
Learn more about Partners In Care and all of the services they offer for those coping with serious illness, end-of-life, death, and loss at their website: http://www.partnersbend.org/
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