00:00 I'm outside the Eleanor Hospice in Gravesend, where therapists and counsellors are helping
00:05 children come to terms with their grief.
00:08 Throughout the year, Eleanor runs both one-on-one play therapy and GEMS group sessions for children,
00:13 which stands for Grief Every Moment Is Special.
00:17 Laura lost her husband last year to cancer when her child Sonny was just four and a half
00:22 years old. She says these sessions gave both her and Sonny space to heal.
00:27 Me personally, Sonny attending these, I've seen a massive growth and change in Sonny's
00:32 behaviour and expression. And from day one when he first came, there was a lot of anxiety
00:39 from both of us. Whereas now Sonny literally skips in and is happy to attend. He sees other
00:45 children that have been in his situation. So at such a young age, you know, for Sonny
00:53 to be able to see and understand that other people have been in his position.
00:58 Disha Boodhu is the play therapist at Eleanor. She says play therapy helps create a safe
01:03 space that may not exist elsewhere.
01:06 School, it can be hard to talk about, let's say, if their dad died to their friends because
01:12 school is so different, you know, it's school based, it's activities and all, but at least
01:17 they've got this one place to come to where they can remember that person, talk about
01:22 them, do activities. You know, we had some children saying, you know, their favourite
01:26 memory was their dad cooking Christmas dinner and others were their memories of their dad,
01:31 how they used to play with them. And as soon as, you know, one of the child starts talking,
01:36 it allows the other ones that might feel a bit more shy or anxious to open up.
01:42 Tammy Dixon offers counselling that complements this play therapy. She says it's vital to
01:47 offer children tools to tackle loss.
01:50 It's not just about growing, that kind of growing around grief, but being able to have
01:55 the tools to support each other in life. And it's a very special gift to be able to talk
02:02 to someone who's lost someone. We all feel like, I don't know what to say, but the children,
02:09 they just go, they go with love.
02:11 It's clear as Child Grief Awareness Week continues that support like this is vital for helping
02:16 children imagine a path through the unimaginable.
02:20 If you've been affected by anything in this piece, you can contact Crews Bereavement Support
02:24 at 01622 671 011.
02:29 Oliver Leeds of the Saks for KMTV.
