Rowan Hospice & Palliative Care will offer a one-day bereavement retreat, Camp Carousel, for children, teens and adults grieving the death of loved ones on Saturday, Oct. 12.
Activities will be held at shelter 2 in the Dan Nicholas Park, 6800 Bringle Ferry Road. Participants can sign-in from 10 to 10:30 a.m. and the camp will run from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided. The park will remain open for free time after Camp Carousel’s closing event.
Registration is required prior to attending the camp. Contact Susanna Lund, grief counselor and art therapist at Rowan Hospice & Palliative Care, at 888-876-3663 or go to www.hospicecarecenter.org for details. The cost is $5 per person and full scholarships are available.
“The camp is designed to bring together campers with key supportive people in their lives through small breakout groups and sharing as a community,” explains Lund. “These activities offer opportunities for both therapeutic experiences and education about the grief process.”
Children and teens must be accompanied by at least one participating adult camper. Specially trained counselors and volunteers facilitate all groups.
Camp Carousel includes age-appropriate grief support groups. Group leaders will help campers learn how to express their grief and develop new coping skills for facing their life changes. They will also have an opportunity to meet others their own age who know what it is like to lose a loved one.
Adult participants may choose one of two small group activities and join children and teens during community experiences. They will have a choice of two options:
• Grief Group — Adult campers meet in small breakout groups to receive support in learning how to cope with personal loss and life change. They have the opportunity to interact with others grieving similar losses.
• Grief Education — Not all adults who attend with a younger camper are actively grieving a loss. This group will offer support and education about how to most effectively support the children and teens in their lives who are grieving a loss.
If you are interested in attending Camp Carousel or know of someone who would benefit from these programs, contact Lund at 888-876-3663. Registration is required prior to attending the camp.
Rowan Hospice & Palliative Care, a collaboration of Hospice & Palliative CareCenter and Rowan Regional Medical Center, is committed to providing quality medical, emotional, spiritual and social support to patients and families who face a serious illness, regardless of diagnosis, prognosis or treatment. RHPC’s Grief Counseling Services provide bereavement services to families of hospice patients as well as grief counseling to the community at large. For more information, contact Ann Gauthreaux, public relations director, at 888-876-3663.