St Luke’s Hospice scheme helping children cope with death

A Sheffield hospice has set up counselling and art sessions for children going through bereavement.

St Luke’s said help was available for those aged between five and 16 who had lost someone being cared for by the hospice.

A pilot project, which preceded the new sessions, “demonstrated very clearly that there is a real need for counselling support among children who have lost a loved one at the hospice,” a St Luke’s spokesperson said.

The aim was to help children develop resilience and to explore their emotions and loss, they added.

Faye Costello, from the hospice, said, “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.”

In some of the sessions for younger children a so-called worry monster was used.

The monster is a stuffed toy with a zipper on its mouth.

A child can write down or draw their worries on a piece of paper and put the worry in the toy’s mouth, a way for them to bring their feelings out, said Ms Costello.

For children aged five to 11, eight weekly group sessions would be offered, with older children being able to access one-on-one sessions and art therapy.

Ms Costello said: “It’s key that we’re trying to ‘normalise’ grief and death and help children to develop emotional literacy, to be able to explain how they’re feeling, to understand their emotions and also think about remembering that person in a positive way.”