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.” |