Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Helping children deal with the trauma of a close family member's death is the goal of "The Good Grief Group," a children's bereavement support group.
Sponsored by the school districts of Kosciusko County, Hospice of Kosciusko County, Compassionate Friends Adult Support Group and Kosciusko Community Hospital, the group meets for six sessions. Meetings are led by Kathy Simpson, a social worker; Jan Hammaker, an elementary school guidance counselor; Monica Lambright, Compassionate Friends; and Randy Packer, KCH chaplain.
Each meeting has a specific objective, such as helping children realize that death is a normal part of the life cycle, helping them express their feelings associated with the death and create positive memories of their loved ones, and guiding them to a sense of closure and peace about the feelings they experience when a close relative dies.
The support group mixes activities with discussion and allows the children a chance to relax, share their feelings, work off anger and get rid of their frustration.
The final session includes an exercise called "What I wish I had said or done." This process is intended to heal and teach the children a sense of harmony and peace through written messages to the deceased loved one. The kids attach personal messages to helium balloons and then let the balloons go, so their secret wishes float into the sky and symbolically reach their absent family members.
For more information about the next Good Grief Group, which begins March 11, contact Packer at 372-7884.
