A bereavement support programme for children and young people based in a forest school setting

Project Description

This project will provide a bereavement support programme for children and young people based in a Forest School setting. Recent studies have found that mental and physical wellbeing can be improved by being in nature. It has been shown to boost the immune system, decrease anxiety and depression, and is therefore ideal as a setting to support bereaved children. This will be achieved through outdoor forest activities alongside the exploration of literature to help express and understand grief and loss – all supported by therapeutic bereavement input from trained counsellors. The aim is to contribute to improved mental and physical wellbeing in the process of managing grief, and potentially create connections with peers, which will be beneficial for longer term support beyond the lifespan of this project.

We anticipate a 6-week programme for 10 children: a closed group to allow friendships and trust to develop. It will include an initial “welcome” day (10am-3pm) – followed by 5 weeks of 2.5 hours. This is based on discussions with the Forest School who have proposed that a longer initial meet up is useful for children to settle in and develop stronger connections to the project. We have adopted this idea, but made subsequent sessions shorter (to fit with funding).

The multi-agency team of Forest Leaders, Bereavement Counsellors, Researchers and ourselves will plan the programme of activities. The forest activities include den building, camp fire cooking, tool making, tree climbing, and rope work. These provide a perfect focus for children who may find a traditional group discussion intimidating. Age-appropriate writing activities will also be part of the programme delivered by the research team. This will involve the participants reading existing literary texts or developing their own, in order to help them explore their loss. Trained counsellors will facilitate bereavement discussions throughout the programme.