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Table 4 Parents’ free-form responses

From: Description and evaluation of a French grief workshop for children and adolescents bereaved of a sibling or parent

Theme

Quotes

Reducing isolation (n = 11)

“It helped us to move forward, to emerge from our isolation and see how others were pulling through.”

“Thanks to the workshop we met other bereaved families with whom we forged a strong friendship.”

“Meeting other families helped us to feel less alone and for that it’s a good initiative. Even 10 years later I’ve kept contact with a bereaved family, we send messages on the anniversary of our children’s death because for a parent there is nothing worse than being forgotten.”

“Being in a group helped him to realise that he wasn’t alone; the other children as well.”

“To realize that we weren’t the only family that had to go through this fatal tsunami. Today the wound is still there but the scar is softer.”

“This group helped us keep our head above water. The peer-relationships forged have endured over time.”

“A huge help. Even if you know it, you realise that you are not alone in this situation… we are all confronted with the same difficulties.”

Expressing and normalizing grief (n = 8)

“The workshop allowed me to pour myself out during the sessions.”

“The worskhop is essential for finding the courage to speak, to just be able to listen to others’ experiences, and to be reassured on our [surviving] children’s health.”

“Listening and discussing at that time of our lives with parents like ourselves who lost a child and learned to continue life differently helped us to express our feelings and listen to what we couldn’t yet verbalise.”

“It wasn’t the activities that helped her the most, but rather the ability to talk to children who had lived the same thing.”

“It helped us to lift the tabou and for the first time we felt understood.”

Praise for the team (n = 8)

“It was a rejuvenating place.”

“The volunteers welcomed us, supervised us and helped us.”

“Your skills were precious to us.”

Need for extended follow-up (n = 11)

“The sessions were a bit short and not everyone was able to share…we would have liked the meetings to have go one longer”

“The length is perhaps too short. We only had four sessions but the workshop bore fruit.”

“We would have liked more sessions: six? Or eight? The rhythm suited us though.”

“The four sessions allowed my daughter to loosen up and speak, and she would have needed more extensive follow-up. Unfortunately we had to seek help elsewhere outside of the workshop.”

“Organise follow-up meetings twice a year after the workshop to stay connected with the other children and parents.”

Other improvements needed (n = 4)

“For the workshop the blending of different ages is perhaps a drawback for an adolescent that is with small children and vice versa.”

“The workshop hours were not compatible with school schedules.”

“Our daughter was the only in her group to have lost her father in a car accident. The other children had lost their parents to illness, it wasn’t easy for her.”