Angela Hospice Camp Helps Children and Families Heal from Grief

When a family loses a loved one, everyone experiences that loss — even children. It’s not
uncommon for grief to be overlooked in children, especially since kids grieve differently than
adults. But children feel deeply too, even if they’re not sure how to express those feelings.

“They are still developing and still trying to gather their own ideas about what grief, or what loss,
is,” explained Joyce Lee, a grief counselor with Angela Hospice. Lee regularly meets with
children who have experienced the loss of a loved one. She explained that young people may
express grief through behavior, like acting out, or seeming to regress developmentally.

But Lee will be helping kids to understand their grief, and how to cope with it, at Angela
Hospice’s Camp Monarch. Taking place Oct. 17-18 from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Angela Hospice
Care Center in Livonia, Camp Monarch is for children ages 5-12 who have experienced the loss
of a loved one.

“The first day we’re going to work on identifying emotions,” said Lee, who will help facilitate
Camp Monarch along with other licensed social workers, a certified music-therapist, and trained
hospice volunteers. The two-day camp will be free-of-charge to those who attend, thanks to a
grant from the Livonia Community Foundation and the support of Angela Hospice donors.

“What makes our camp so special is that we are a therapeutic arts camp,” said Heather Dean, a
board-certified music therapist with Angela Hospice. “We incorporate play, storytelling and art
making in everything we do.” Music therapy is an important part of the camp as well.

“Music allows our kids to express themselves in a way that feels safe,” Dean explained. “While
children may feel inhibited to share their emotions or identify what they are experiencing
verbally, children are generally uninhibited when it comes to making music together. Music has
the power to unite us in a shared experience, identify our complex feelings, regulate our
nervous systems, and begin the process of coping…. I have the privilege to witness children
share what they didn't know they could say out loud. It is truly healing.”

Part of what makes Camp Monarch so beneficial for those who attend is the opportunity to meet
other kids who understand loss. In her one-on-one counseling sessions with young clients, Lee
often hears how difficult it can be for them to talk to other kids about their loss, either because
they get teased, or because their friends feel awkward when they bring up the subject.

“So for them to be able to come to a space and have that time to be able to talk it out, and also
learn some tools along the way — that's super empowering,” Lee said.

Camp Monarch will take on a travel theme, and a creative memorial activity is planned as well.
Parents and guardians will be invited to take part at the end of day two, and will also be invited
to learn more about how to support their grieving child.

“We're trying to be mindful of the way parents are going to be involved, how they can make sure
that they're reinforcing these coping skills that they've learned here when they go home,” Lee
explained.

Registration for Camp Monarch is available online at angelahospice.org/camp through Sept. 30,
and is open to children from throughout the community. For more information, call
734.464.3277.

About Angela Hospice
Angela Hospice is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization, dedicated to provide comprehensive,
compassionate, end-of-life care to patients of all ages, and supportive care to their families.
Angela Hospice also serves the community through free grief support and education programs.
Established in 1985 by the Felician Sisters, Angela Hospice is driven by the core values of:
respect for human dignity, compassion, transformation, solidarity with those in need, justice and
peace. In addition to community-based hospice care, Angela Hospice offers inpatient end-of-life
care at its Livonia and Waterford Care Centers, offering a home-like environment for persons in
crises or who require additional support. For more information, please call 734.464.7810 or visit
AskForAngela.com.