Parents with grieving children from around the province will be gathering in Truro for a free two day workshop, Path of the Firefly, on February 27 and March 6, 2010. Path of the Firefly is aimed at helping parents and guardians to explore aspects of how children grieve and how grief can impact the family. Parents will be given tools to assist them in supporting their children while also dealing with their own grief. They will be encouraged to share their experiences, learn from each other, and build a network of support with others.

The workshop is an annual offering by Bailey’s Hope Society and is being co-produced by Colchester East Hants Hospice Society. Bailey’s Hope Society has been providing programs to support grieving children since 2003 and has helped hundreds of families from across Nova Scotia.

“Path of the Firefly was a wonderful, informative and healing workshop” said past participant Sherri Stevenson of Debert. “Some of the parents who participated in the workshop with me are still very close friends. My first husband died when my son was only five years old. I had no idea what to do as a parent. With this workshop I learned how to assess my son’s grief and I learned how to cope with my own grief while parenting.”

The workshop is facilitated by Vince MacDonald, a certified Grief Counsellor with extensive experience working with families. “Vince helped me to see grief from my son’s perspective. I would highly recommend this to any parent or caregiver dealing with grief” added Ms. Stevenson. Parents and guardians are encouraged to contact the Hospice Society early at 902-893-3265 to register for the workshop as space is limited.

Later this year, in May, the Hospice Society will be holding a workshop for counsellors, teachers, volunteers and others working with children who are grieving to provide tools for supporting grieving children from outside of the family.

Bailey’s Hope Society and The Hospice Society are both registered charities providing a wide range of programs to support those families living with life-threatening illness, and/or those grieving the death of a loved one. For more information about Path of the Firefly or to find out how you can support Bailey’s Hope or the Hospice Society, contact us.