Dubai: A free grief support service to reach out to bereaved families and children has been established by a community mental health clinic in the UAE.
"We started the service to cater to a genuine need for grief support in the country," said Carey Kirk, grief services programme coordinator at LightHouse Arabia. She said nearly 200 of the 2,000-plus deaths in Dubai in 2010-11 were of children under 15.
"Death is an isolating experience and can have drastic repercussions on families. So, during grieving time, it is important to get support from people who understand. And that's where we would like to come in, as we are professionally qualified to handle the situation," she said. On board the service are two clinical psychologists from the clinic, Dr Saliha Afridi and Dr Tara Wyne, besides Kirk and a group of trained volunteers. Children and adolescents who have experienced the death of a mother, father or sibling will be engaged in bi-weekly support or activity groups for as long as they need. The parents will also be at the LightHouse receiving support, while their children are in their group.
The first group, which will focus on two- to five-year-olds, will use play therapy. The second will include children from six to 11 years who will be engaged in a host of activities, including open discussions about feelings and how to cope with grief. Using a similar format are the third and fourth groups, which will target adolescents and adults.
She said the aim is to process feelings of grief besides educating those present on how they can cope with it. Besides professional support, participants can also benefit from other families going through similar situations.
The first meeting of the Grief Support Service will take place at the LightHouse Arabia clinic on March 12. A free grief education talk will also be held for the public on March 4 in the first of monthly programmes to be held on the first Sunday of every month.
