For children living with grief, hospice offers Courageous Family Weekend event

No matter who you are, living with grief is challenging. But for children who are still learning to make sense of the world, their grief experience is quite different and requires special guidance and care.

That is why JourneyCare, a Glenview-based hospice and palliative care organization, is offering Courageous Family Weekend this fall, an event created especially for families with children ages 6-18 who have recently lost a loved one. Any family in the community is welcome, regardless of whether their loved one was a patient with JourneyCare.

"This specialized event will allow kids to be around peers who have also experienced loss, so they can connect, identify feelings, learn coping skills and how to honor their loved one, and share memories," says JourneyCare Bereavement Services Manager Megan Andriano.

Parents or caregivers are encouraged to attend this event along with their children, as families will receive grief education from licensed counselors in breakout groups tailored to both adults and children. Other event highlights include a ceremony to honor lost loved ones and therapeutic play for children.

"A lot of the magic in navigating grief comes from being with other kids who have experienced similar loss and sharing play time, because play is an important part of how children cope," Andriano says. All families are welcome to learn more at journeycare.org/cfw, where there is a brief application, too. Organizers note that as COVID-19 precautions evolve in Illinois, this event may become virtual if necessary.