Bereavement Programs for Families with Children

By Isabella Simantov

The death of a loved one is a painful yet unavoidable experience, and bereavement can be physically and emotionally exhausting. When death occurs in a family with children, it’s common to feel lonely or helpless. It’s important to remember that you are not alone. Feel the Magic exists to help children and families with their grieving process by hosting free camps and fostering a community of people who have experienced the death of their parent, partner, sibling, or child. We’re here to support children as they grieve the death of a loved one and assist parents in their efforts to comfort their children. To find out more about our bereavement programs, please continue reading.

Virtual Camps

Your child’s journey with Feel the Magic starts with our virtual camps. Talking about grief isn’t comfortable, and kids often feel uneasy when discussing their thoughts and feelings about their dead parent, guardian, or sibling. Virtual camps are a great starting point because:

  • Your child feels safe at home
  • If the discussion becomes too overwhelming, your child can walk away and take a break
  • Your child knows the other kids in the session are just like them
  • You’re able to sit beside your child, learn with them, and support them

We have two virtual camps: Healthy Grieving Program and Let’s Talk Suicide.

Healthy Grieving Program guides you and your kids as together you learn a shared grief language, tools, and coping strategies – all from the safe space of your own home. Over the course of four sessions, your child learns practical skills for regulating their emotions in triggering situations, is taught by professionals how to cope with grief in a healthy way, and connects with other kids just like them.

Let’s Talk Suicide has been created specifically for children who are grieving the suicide of a loved one. This bereavement program teaches kids how to heal from the guilt, shame and blame that often comes with the suicide of a parent or sibling. Over the course of 3 sessions, your child gains skills and tools to help them cope with grief, find a way to share their grief story in a healthy way, learn from trained professionals about healthy grief, and gain a community of other kids who are just like them.

Family Day Camp

Once your child has completed the virtual camps, the next step is to attend the Family Day Camp. This camp brings together families grieving the death of a loved one for a day of fun activities and opportunities to talk about life with grief with people who understand what you’re going through. You’ll walk away as a stronger family unit that’s ready to move forward together – knowing that you’ve got a new community to lean on when things get tough.

The Family Day Camp works like this:

  • It’s a single-day event held on a weekend
  • It’s facilitated by trained educators, mental health experts and volunteers, and in partnership with other organisations
  • Each family will be given a participation pack

Camp Magic

Camp Magic is a 3-day camp that challenges your child with fun physical activities and also teaches them vital skills to help them cope with grief. This is a social weekend for your child to have fun, meet new friends who understand them, and find a way to handle their grief in a healthy way.

Camp Magic works like this:

  • Campers are grouped together by age to ensure all content is appropriate for them
  • Campers are paired with a trained mentor to guide and support them
  • The camp itself is run by mental health professionals
  • The content for the camp is designed by clinical psychologists

Your kids will know that Camp Magic is a place they can always return to, and you will see them smile again.

A lot of parents and guardians struggle to connect with their children after the death of a loved one, especially when you’re dealing with your own grief. This is why we have created the Parent and Guardian Workshop for you to attend while your child is away at Camp Magic. This program is held in 2 sessions, in which you are taught the psychology behind childhood grief. The Parent and Guardian Workshop will help you gain:

  • A deeper understanding of the way children grieve
  • A language for talking to your child about grief
  • Tools for guiding your child through difficult and complex emotions
  • A community of parents and guardians who can understand what you’re going through, as they’re experiencing it too

Camp Dates & Locations

All of our bereavement programs are held regularly in Sydney, regional NSW, ACT, and Victoria. You can work out where and when our next camps are by looking at our camp dates. Alternatively, you can fill out an enquiry form and we will contact you.

I need additional support, where should I go?

If your family has recently experienced the death of a loved one, it’s important for you and your child to know that you’re not alone. You should ensure that you practice self-care because your wellbeing is just as important as your child’s.

Feel the Magic is here to help your family through the difficult period following a death. We provide free camps to children to help them through the grieving process, we also connect parents to our grief community so you can join a network of people who understand what you’re currently experiencing. If you need help and advice immediately, please refer to our grief resource hub or call a helpline.

For more information about who we are and how we can help you, please enquire now.