Canuck Place's Bereavement Support Program

On October 16th, Canuck Place counsellors travelled to Kelowna and held a 2 day Bereavement Support Program for families in the Okanagan that have experienced the death of a child.

Recognizing that families grieve together, concurrent support groups were offered for siblings and parents. Siblings participated in age-appropriate exploration and expression and shared their feelings and experiences in peer support groups.

Demand for similar programs outside the Lower Mainland can be described by a comment made at the conclusion of the sessions by one family member... "The calibre of support from Canuck Place is like a big drink to a thirsty plant....we would welcome any kind of programming Canuck Place can offer up here."

Read a related story - Remembering Our Children

Of the Kelowna Support Groups, other family members noted:

"[The support session] was a real comfort to me."

"I always find it helpful to hear people's stories."

"We particularly found the art project extremely meaningful".

"Thanks again for coming and we look forward to seeing you again."

"I found it extremely helpful.......encouraging and beneficial"

"having an experienced facilitator [enabled us to] move forward....find our way onto some different ground..... gain some new insight." "We are, as usual, deeply grateful for the skilled support ............ and generosity of Canuck Place, yet again"

"The calibre of support from Canuck Place is like a big drink to a thirsty plant....we would welcome any kind of programming Canuck Place can offer up here."

The Bereavement Support Groups were offered by Canuck Place, in conjunction with the Central Okanagan Hospice Association

For more information on Canuck Place Support programs - please visit the Our Program section of our website.