When Noreen’s former husband took his own life at the end of last year, she used the resources provided by a charity to explain the traumatic loss to her nine-year-old daughter, AAP reports.
The father, 43, had been struggling with mental illness for decades.
Months after the suicide, Noreen and her daughter are attending a grief support camp for children and young people aged between seven and 17, the first of its kind in Australia.
The partnership between NSW charity Feel the Magic and the state government comes after a virtual pilot project was trialled last year during the pandemic.
The Sunday gathering, with a mixture of grief education and fun activities, is being held at picturesque Stanwell Tops, a coastal and forest location between Sydney and Wollongong.
“These camps are not only a place of comfort and learning for children but for their parents and carers, who are often called upon to answer the tricky, complex question: ‘why did they die?'” says the group’s chief executive Adam Blatch.
Minister for Mental Health Bronnie Taylor said the camp will provide a safe space for children and young people to discuss the pain.
Psychologists agree there’s an increased risk of self-harm or suicidal behaviour if the right support for different age groups is not given.
Noreen says her 17-year-old son was hit the hardest as he was living with his father and grandparents at the time the suicide took place.
She says he has complex feelings and acted out a bit, and she’s tried to emphasise that grief takes time.
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Grieving families find help in new program (AAP)
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