Palliative & Supportive Care

Table of Contents - 2007 - Volume 5, Issue 03  


Essay/Personal Reflections

Bereavement summer camp for children and teens: A reflection of nine years

Sherry R. Schachter a1c1
a1 Calvary Hospital/Hospice, Bronx, New York 10461, USA

Article author query
schachter sr   [PubMed][Google Scholar] 

Abstract

The need to facilitate healthy bereavement, resulting from both deaths from life-threatening illnesses as well as violent, sudden deaths, is great. For the past 9 summers, Bereavement Services at Calvary Hospital, Bronx, New York, has sponsored a week-long day camp for bereaved children and adolescents. Each year the program expands by adding new activities to meet the needs of grieving children in therapeutic ways congruent with current research and timely clinical interventions. This article reflects on our experience, which has evolved and become stronger over the past 9 years. It is believed that this program is replicable and can be initiated and developed by other hospitals and organizations interested in developing similar programs.


Key Words: Children and teen bereavement; Bereavement groups; Bereavement summer camp; Hospital support.

Correspondence:
c1 Corresponding author: Sherry R. Schachter, Director Bereavement Services, Calvary Hospital/Hospice, 1740 Eastchester Road, Bronx, NY 10461, USA. E-mail: Sschachter@calvaryhospital.org