My Account
The Trading Post donated $5000.
Teresa Smyth and Heather Free.
Seasons for Growth is putting more resources into its grief support sessions for adults, due to an increase in demand for its services.
It has been aided by a $5000 donation by the Mahurangi Community Trading Post, awarded last month.
The next intake for group meetings for adults begins on June 22 and there are still spaces remaining.
Heather Free and Teresa Smyth say Seasons for Growth teaches techniques and skills to allow people to adapt to significant changes or loss in their life.
This could include an illness, a death of a loved one, the end of a significant relationship or any other kind of major loss.
“The small groups are a safe place to explore grief. It can be a benefit to hear what other people are going through in their lives,” Heather says.
The groups are run by trained volunteer “companions”, who come from a variety of backgrounds, from counsellors to teachers. Heather says Seasons for Growth is always looking for new volunteers and the only firm criteria is that companions must have experienced grief or loss themselves.
Meetings are held at the Anglican Churches in Warkworth and Wellsford, however, it is not a religious programme.
Seasons for Growth has been in Mahurangi since 2011, and has mostly concentrated on providing support for children in schools.
Heather and Teresa say many of the children in the programme are coming to terms with the separation of their parents. Some have parents who have recently been put in prison.
Others have had to come to terms with a parent having a terminal illness.
“One woman who was in the process of passing away was able to sit with her daughter. They were able to talk to each other about how they were feeling.”
Heather says one of the aims with young people is to “build resilience” so that when they encounter big changes or loss they have more tools to deal with that experience.
“The changing seasons metaphor speaks to the fact that in the winter it can seem dark and lonely, but spring arrives and it is a time for new growth and opportunities,” she says.
Contact Heather Free at seasonswarkworthwellsford@gmail.com
