Rainbows and Sunbeams
Rainbows
We are pleased to offer the Rainbows Bereavement Programme as part of our ELSA support in school. We now offer support groups for any child who is expressing any difficulty or distress due to a change within their family circumstance or any painful loss.
When something significant happens in a family, the entire family is affected. Even though death, divorce or other loss issues (such as marital breakdown) appear to be only grown-up problems, they can have a significant effect on the children who are touched by such experiences. If a parent dies, a divorce happens, or some other painful loss occurs, not only do the parents grieve, the children do also. Children may find it extremely difficult to verbalise their feelings of grief because of their age and inexperience.
We have some very sensitive, caring and trained adults who have said “yes” to helping these children put their feelings into words, work through their grief, build a stronger sense of self-esteem, and begin to accept what has taken place in the family.
If your child has experienced the death of a loved family member, friend or sibling, or is struggling through a painful experience, this will be an opportunity for them to share with a special someone.
Sunbeams
To support our younger children in Reception and Year 1, there is also a group called Sunbeams. This is modelled on the Rainbows programme but uses age-appropriate resources. Through SunBeams, children will have the opportunity to grieve the loss in their family and develop appropriate coping mechanisms for life.
Part of the SunBeams programme involves using activities such as puppets, especially designed to help them express their feelings and to learn new coping strategies. The sessions include the following subjects:
- Self
- Divorce
- Death
- Abandonment
- Loneliness
- Anger
- Extreme sadness
- Depression
- Family Belonging
- Trust
- Coping Tools
If you think that you may be interested in either of these programmes, or would just like some further information, please contact Mrs Vile at elsa@stcecilias.school
There's more information about Rainbows in this leaflet:
