Grief counseling focus of program

By JAMES CLARK Editor for the Southern Standard

Children dealing with grief due to the loss of a loved one can receive tips on how to sort through their emotions during a one-day camp at Rock Island State Park Sept. 25.

Lazarus House Hospice is conducting a one-day children’s grief camp designed to help children cope with the loss of a parent, sibling, or close friend.

The objective is to open avenues of communication between adults and children and to discover the needs of the grieving child. The program will offer support, fun activities, listening ears, and a safe place to recognize and express feelings.

“We’ll be talking about their loss and how it made them feel,” said Lazarus counselor Lisa Womack. “If it gets too intense, we’re going to go play. We want it to be informative and more or less let kids know they aren’t the only ones out there dealing with these problems.”

Womack says she also expects the topic of fathers getting sent to Iraq to be addressed.

“A loss is a loss and there are so many local children who have lost their fathers to Iraq,” said Womack. “It’s not a death loss, but it’s still a loss. He’s gone from their lives.”

Womack said mothers back home can have difficulty telling small children why daddy is gone.

“Mothers want to be able to tell children their father is coming home, but what if he doesn’t?” said Womack.

The camp is Saturday, Sept. 25 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Rock Island State Park. The camp is a free service sponsored by Lazarus House Hospice.

A lunch of hotdogs and hamburgers will be served. There will be crafts, games, and a puppet show. Children will also be encouraged to exchange names and phone numbers if they want to keep in touch with children they meet, or want to form a support group.

Please RSVP by Sept. 17. For information call 931-507-5133 (from 1 to 5 p.m.) or 1-800-468-4123 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) and speak to Womack or Dorinda Kell.