Learning to Grieve with Chesapeake Life Center

Grief comes to us all, even children. When a child loses a sibling, a parent or a friend, grief can manifest itself in numerous ways including anger, anxiety, or loneliness, and physical symptoms like headaches and stomachaches, and trouble concentrating. When children are grieving, they may not grasp what’s happening to them and need extra help learning how to handle what’s happening to them.

Chesapeake Life Center is offering help to grieving children this summer during several sessions of Grief Camps for children ages 6 to 18. The children’s day camp for children ages 6 to 13 will be held at the Hospice of the Chesapeake’s Pasadena campus on June 21 and 22.

Kids will get to know each other on Friday night, then return the next day to explore their grief and learn tools to manage it. Through art, play, conversations and support, children will learn new ways to cope with the difficult task of grieving, while learning they are not alone.

Camp Phoenix, the teen grief camp for those ages 13 to 18, will take place June 22 at Arlington Echo Outdoor Education Center in Millersville. Using art, team building exercises and getting to know each other, the teens will find a space where the many emotions of grief are met with care and compassion.

Onsite professional counselors will offer the expertise the teens need as they navigate the grieving process.

Registration is required and can be completed by calling 888-501-7077 or emailing griefinfo@ cheseapeakelifecenter.org.

The children’s camp is $50; teen camp is $40. Scholarships are available for both programs.