Cancer Concern launches first grief counselling training |17 April 2015
Parents who lose children through illness, sudden death, accidents and vice versa as well as families, friends, spouses, work colleagues who suddenly find a loved one abruptly taken away from them through death need help to overcome the pain of separation but very often they do not know who to turn to.
The Cancer Concern Association (CCA) and its members, the National Council for Children (NCC), the Sisters of St Joseph of Cluny, parish priests both from the Catholic and Anglican dioceses have all been involved in providing some form of support, encouragement, guidance to bereaved, grieving and mourning family members and friends.
The CCA, through its long experience supporting families who lose members through cancer, says the request for such a training was made by members last year during its last annual general meeting.
The chairperson of CCA, Bishop French Chang Him, said there is an increasing demand to help people overcome their pain and grief so they can continue with their lives.
He said that like other traumatic experiences, grief not dealt with can have life-long and long-lasting consequences.
The training session yesterday at the Domus, the first of its type, is a historic one as it brought together the above mentioned groups and it was aimed at building their capacity to better understand the pain of people suffering these loses so as to better help and support them.
“The Catholic church is very happy and welcomes such an initiative and it is good to see different groups come together for one main purpose which is to help others in need of such help at a difficult time of their lives,” Bishop Denis Wiehe of the Catholic diocese said.
He commended Bishop Chang Him of CCA and Bishop James Wong who has also given his blessing for such an initiative.
Patricia Francourt, an education consultant and psychotherapist and Ruby Pardiwalla, the director of the NCC, led the sessions.
Miss Pardiwalla said for three years now the NCC has been providing help to children and parents who are referred by other agencies and the council tries its best to give all the support it can.
“I believe there are more requests for such support which are not coming to the NCC and I believe it is important for members of the clergy as well to be better equipped to help people who come to them for help,” she said.
Ms Francourt explained that in order to help people in need of support during such difficult moments like death and bereavement it is important to have the necessary skills to detect and understand the difference between grief, bereavement and mourning.
She said she hopes that at the end of the session everyone taking part will be able to provide support to grieving, mourning and bereaved people regardless of their religious beliefs and faith.
During the session everyone present had a chance to share their numerous experiences when dealing with families who come looking for support after a death of family members or friends.
Reverend Danny Elizabeth from the Anglican church admitted that ‘’it is not easy even for us priests as we too need counselling to cope with the loss of devoted parishioners”.
M-A. L.