Grief support for teenagers is provided by St. Elizabeth Healthcare Hospice at an annual teen retreat. James Ellis the Bereavement Care Coordinator at the Hospice explained the need for and success of these retreats at a recent Florence Rotary Club meeting.
Many teens have difficulty express their grief. They think if they talk about their sadness it will hurt the other members of the family who are also grieving. Many people, not just teens, think they have to be strong at a time of great loss. As a result they carry grief issues for long periods, even years.
The theme and name for the program is STARS, an acronym for a “safe place to teach, accept, respect and support each other. The retreat is just one avenue of providing this kind of place for teens.
The retreats are held at Potter’s Ranch, a youth ranch and family life ministry in Northern Kentucky, where several activities are use to help attendees explore their grief. In addition to equine therapy, physical activity and fun opportunities are integrated with support group activities into the program.
There are several purposes for these retreats. One key goal is to provide a safe place for the teens to express their feelings. Another is to help the kids recognize there can still be joy in life in spite of their loss. They learn that going on with one’s life is not disrespectful to the one who died.
The hope is the retreats will be confidence builders for the young people – confidence in who they are, that they will survive, that things will get better.
The STARS Teen Retreat is a prototype that Ellis hopes can be used for other groups in the future. He currently oversees STARS for adults, for younger kids and for men only and anticipates using what is learned from the teen retreat for use in these groups.
Anyone, not just teens, seeking information about St. Elizabeth’s Bereavement Care can contact Ellis at 859-301-4611 or send email to james.ellis@stelizabeth.com.
For information about weekly meetings, guest speakers and community service opportunities of the Florence Rotary Club, contact Pat Moynahan, president, at amoynahan@insightbb.com or (859) 802-0242. Visit the group’s web site at www.florencerotary.org . Florence Rotary meets weekly on Mondays at noon at the Airport Hilton Hotel in Florence.
