New service aims to help people deal with grief

Dubai People who need help to cope with a family member's death will have grief support starting next month.

The community service aimed to aid children, adolescents and families in the UAE will be held at the Raymee Grief Centre housed at The LightHouse Arabia, a community psychology clinic in Jumeirah, Dubai. The monthly lectures that will take place on the first Sunday of every month will promote hope and healing through support and education of the grieving process.

The lectures and sessions are based on the pioneering grief service model of The Dougy Centre, a US-based, non-profit body established in 1982 that has been helping children cope with the death of a family member. There are over 500 organisations worldwide that use the non-profit body's peer support group model.

Gulf News spoke to Carey Kirk, a licensed professional counsellor from the US who will be leading the project in Dubai. She said, "Currently, we are meeting school counsellors in the emirate to let them know that we are providing educational awareness and support to any student who has experienced a death of a parent or sibling. During the talk, we hope to foster a safe place for people to talk about death and help them with the grieving process."

Kirk said, "Like all metropolitan cities, Dubai too needs such a service. The busy lifestyle doesn't give people enough time to process their grief reaction. Further, most companies provide a few days of compassionate or bereavement leave. I believe that while these allotments are a sign of progress in the working sector towards providing families space to grieve, employers need to be aware of the long-term nature of grief.

"Normal grief reactions often include feelings of fatigue, confusion, sleep disturbance, and pre-occupation with thoughts of the deceased that can significantly interfere with an individual's ability to function at work. Periods of time longer than 2-5 working days may be necessary for bereaved individuals to heal before they are able to again focus on and perform their work tasks."

When grief is bottled up, Kirk added, it can result in major depression, anxiety, insomnia, relationship problems, coping problems, and social withdrawal among other symptoms.

Statistics: massive impact

According to the Dubai Statistics Centre, an average of 2,000 people have died in Dubai from 2008 to 2010. Of these, 226 deaths in 2010 were recorded as children under the age of 15. "These deaths are bound to impact a large portion of the Dubai community," said Carey Kirk, Dubai-based licensed professional counsellor.

* 2011 statistics unavailable

• What: Talk on how to cope with death of a family member
• When: First Sunday of every month, starting this March
• Where: Raymee Grief Centre, The LightHouse Arabia, Jumeirah, Dubai