As Suicide Rates Rise, Bereavement Camps Bring Healing to Kids Left Behind

One by one, children toss notecards into the flames, each one bearing the name of a loved one lost to suicide: fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters. Each card makes the fire burn a little brighter, a burst of light and memory as the paper singes and crumples. When each child has had their turn, they embrace in a group hug—some crying, some smiling, together in both grief and healing. Tomorrow, the 72 children, teens, and young adults attending Comfort Zone Camp’s three-day suicide-bereavement camp in rural New Jersey, as well as the parents who accompanied them and the “big buddies” with whom the kids are paired, will pack up and return home. The hope is they’ll leave feeling emotionally lighter than when they arrived, says Lynne Hughes, who founded Comfort Zone Camp more than 20 years ago to give grieving children a place to open up and heal from their losses. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “If you never tell your story, grief doesn’t go anywhere; it just hangs out on your shoulder with you,” Hughes says. “If you tell your story, it de-powers it. You’re going toward it. Mourning is the intentional act of going toward the grief.” Ilona Szwarc for TIMEClockwise from top left: “Big buddies” Liv Burnett and Ceara Olsen, and campers Fiona Karlson, Morgan Chiantella, Marlee Schindler, and Avalon Chassé on the last day of Comfort Zone Camp. Ilona Szwarc for TIMECampers, buddie...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate Mental Health Source Type: news