Compassionate friends help pupils deal with grief
PARKHURST – THE Compassionate Friends, (TCF), with funding from The RB Hagart Trust,ran an eight-week grief skills course for bereaved children at Parkhurst Primary School.
TCF leader Debbie James explained that her organisation decided to run a course at the school after a member mentioned that her daughter was struggling with grief.
“Children and siblings are often the forgotten participants in the grieving process and they feel they have no one to talk to,” James said. “This course has endeavoured to show them that they are important and to give them coping skills to deal with their grief.”
The course was facilitated by two facilitators who assisted the pupils in dealing with grief and opening up about their feelings.
Sanjeev Maharaj, principal of Parkhurst Primary School explained that a few pupils who had just faced a death in the family were battling academically, and their personalities had also changed.
“As a school we do not have adequate skills to deal with grief and so the course was extremely helpful,” Maharaj said.
Maharaj added that the plan was to expand on different facets, as children faced many traumas, from death, to crime and poverty.
Isabel Ferreira, the course facilitator, explained that the course was very enriching, “… The most unbelievable medium of growth is to see how they have grown, which has been unbelievable,” she said.
TCF is a non-profit organisation offering a safe environment with support and understanding to the bereaved. It offers free one-on-one personal counselling, and monthly support group meetings.
All sessions are conducted by professionally-trained counsellors who have also lost children, grandchildren or siblings.
Details: 011 440 6322; info.tcfsa@mwe.co.za
