Family Expressions: Grief Support for the Whole Family

By Mary Beaven, LCSW

Mary Washington Grief Support Services provides bereavement support to children, teens, adults, and families in the Fredericksburg area. The dual mission of this program is to provide grief education and offer space for bereaved individuals to share, remember, and connect. Through generous donations and grants, Grief Support Services provides these services at no cost to those attending. Additionally, participants come from the community at large and do not have to be connected to Mary Washington Healthcare.

Children are significantly affected by the death of a loved one. A study conducted by Judi’s House, a grief support organization that created the Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM), found that in Virginia, 1 in 12 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18¹. While loss causes lasting impacts for a family, these effects can be mitigated by strong community support, especially in the form of family grief support.

At Arizona State University, Dr. Irwin Sandler conducted a 15-year longitudinal study examining the success of a family bereavement program he and his colleagues created. Their results show the benefits of family grief support through lower rates of depression in the young adults who participated in the program compared to bereaved peers who did not participate in a family bereavement program².

Beginning in May, Family Expressions will begin meeting the 2^nd Thursday of each month. The group is geared towards families with elementary-aged children; however, teens are welcome to join with their younger siblings and break-out session activities can be adjusted for various age groups.

Family Expressions has two components:

• First, families will share a meal and complete an activity together. During this time, children and their caregivers will share memories, learn coping skills, and foster connection. For example, a family may work together to paint pictures of memories of their loved one on a pot, then fill the pot with soil and seeds. Taking care of the seeds mirrors the way we need to care for ourselves and each other as we grieve.
• The group will then separate allowing the adults to discuss the unique challenges in coping with their own grief while tending to the needs of their children. Simultaneously, the children will meet to continue practicing coping skills, share additional memories, and connect with other grieving children. This time for children is typically facilitated using art-based activities and games.

If you are interested in participating please contact Mary Beaven, Community Bereavement Liaison at mary.beaven@mwhc.com or 540-205-0502.

Registration is required.

¹https://judishouse.org/research-tools/cbem/

²https://usenate.asu.edu/family-bereavement-program-shown-reduce-long-term-depression-children