Our Children’s Healing and Therapeutic Support (CHATS) Team held a special Memory Evening at Birmingham St Mary’s Hospice.
The memorial event gave families a safe space to talk about bereavement and their emotions, while providing support.
Sam Kelly, Children’s Therapeutic Support Worker said: “Once we welcomed our families, the parents went to a seperate room with several colleagues from the Wellbeing Team.
“This meant parents had an opportunity to share their personal experiences of handling, not just their own grief, but also the challenges of navigating their children on their grieving journey.”
The children took part in several therapeutic activities, giving them an opportunity to talk about their loved ones, their memories of them and what they loved about them.
Sam added: “Towards the end of the event we all came together for the children to showcase their work and say something about the loved one they have lost.
“They then lit a candle and we all had quiet reflection time. The evening was a very special, emotional, happy and meaningful event.”
Parents have thanked the team for their support and organising the event saying they found it ‘comforting’,’helpful’ and ‘necessary to help with the grieving process’.
Speaking about the Memory Evening, Sam said: “The CHATS Team are aware that remembering a loved one after they have died can be painful, but it can also be really helpful and comforting.
“Being open about how you feel is healthy and hopefully stops challenging feelings from building up, which in turn can make you feel poorly.
“We actively encourage our families to continue talking about their loved ones, keeping their memory alive and continuing a relationship with them even if they are not physically here, this all helps towards softening the grieving process.”
