Hospice care is not just for the sick person… the whole family receives services. Including the children of the family. My employer, Treasure Coast Hospice, (and other hospice agencies) offers semi-annual children bereavement camps where the kids have time to process their grief. But, don’t be fooled, these camps are not like an episode of Dr. Phil where everyone sits in a circle and talks. These camps are full of non-stop activities and fun. Therapeutic activities like: art therapy, music therapy, pet therapy, and adventure activities (like swimming, paddle boating, sports, etc.).
Last March I got the opportunity to participate in my first bereavement camp as a staff member. I had no idea what to expect and all I can say is WOW. It was so fun! Part of me was sent back to my own memories spent at week-away summer camp (which I really loved as a kid). And part of me was really nervous… it had been a while since I lead large group sessions with people under the age of 18 and they are quite different than the 1:1 setting that I’ve been used to. But, my nervousness went away as soon as I was in the room with all the youthful energy.
The basic schedule of the camp included lots of activities to promote interaction and help the campers feel comfortable. Later, campers met with their counselors whom they had been working with throughout their time in hospice care to process their grief. An evening campfire took place on the last night. During this time campers shared letters that they had written to their loved ones during the day (if they felt like reading them, of course) and all the letters were ceremoniously placed in the campfire.
The goals of the music therapy portion of the camp were to:
- Increase interaction among the campers
- Prime the campers for talking about emotions
- Provide musical support during evening campfire ceremony when letters were read
- Provide musical support during evening campfire immediately following letter reading ceremony
All types of music therapy interventions were used like:
- Structured music making
- Group singing (We had to do camp songs, of course!)
- Movement to music
- Group musical story telling
- Group song writing
- Passive listening to live music
Below is the song written by the campers. Does it sound familiar? The starting point for this song came from the Listen & Learn Music blog written by Rachel Rambach… the original song is The Feelings in My Heart; you can listen to it here. (BTW, I LOVE my Listen & Learn plus membership!)
Obviously, the song was really modified from the original for the needs of the group… but that’s why you want a board certified music therapist doing this work… we have the skills to do that! 
Please check out more pictures from the bereavement camp at Treasure Coast Hospice here.
Have you led music therapy at a children’s bereavement camp? What was your experience like?
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Michelle! I just found this post while I was searching for music therapy opportunities in summer camps. This is an area I feel highly pulled to and I was wondering if you had any advice or avenues in which I could get involved with programs. Do you think there is an opportunity for program development or program proposals? I have looked into hole-in-the-wall camps as well as berevement camps for children. Thank you so much Michelle, I really enjoyed your presentation about social networking at conference! I look forward to hearing from you. Best wishes!
Shanna! I hope this works as a reply so you see it. You should think about coming to our grief camp in the summer! It will be the weekend of June 22nd. Miss you, girl. So glad to see you are doing well!