Since 1985, Hospice of Texarkana, Inc., has provided care to area residents at the end-of-life. Nine years ago, our Bereavement Coordinator and Medical Social Worker began taking grief support to children and teenagers by offering the Good Grief Club at area schools.

At Hospice, we have discovered how valid the statement is, "What children don't talk out, they act out." If an adolescent does not learn how to identify and communicate their emotions in a productive way, they will typically act them out in the form of discipline problems, poor grades, and aggressive and/or withdrawn behavior. These feelings/behaviors will continue to impact their lives as adults.

For nine-years, we have worked with elementary, middle, and high school counselors to support students throughout the city and in neighboring communities. The school counselors work with teachers to identify students who are experiencing grief because of the loss of a loved one, divorce, a parent deployed in the military, or the incarceration of a loved one. Then, they gain parental consent and schedule the one-hour groups for six, consecutive weeks during school hours. Since Hospice of Texarkana began offering The Club in schools, nine to 17 groups have been provided each school year.

Additionally, each summer Good Grief Day is offered. In June, eight children spent the day with counselors who did activities such as: Writing group poems, Feelings Cards, Creating Quilt Squares (which are later sewn into a quilt and hung in the office), Yarn Activity, Positive Group Coping, and the Balloon Release. McDonald's of Texarkana-Atlanta-Ashdown provided lunch.

The objectives of the groups include: teaching children/youth to identify feelings linked to grief, teaching children to express those feelings in a healthy way, and teaching children to identify individuals in their own lives who are a source of support.

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