Winchester, VA, December 12, 2022–Blue Ridge Hospice has launched “Adventures Through Grief,” a new and innovative bereavement support program for teenagers and young adults who are coping with grief after the loss of a loved one. The group utilizes a concept developed by Game to Grow, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the use of table-top games for therapeutic, educational, and community growth.
The new 12-session, therapeutic gaming groups will be held twice a month at Blue Ridge Hospice’s offices at 333 W. Cork Street in Winchester, Va.—as well as virtually via Zoom—beginning in January 2023. Participation will be free of cost and open to anyone between the ages of 14–17 and 18–24, who resides in the Blue Ridge Hospice service area comprising the City of Winchester and eight surrounding counties: Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, Warren, Northern Fauquier, and Western Loudoun.
Using Game to Grow’s therapeutic roleplaying game (RPG) method, modified specifically to address grief, participants will use creative social skills to tackle imaginary dangerous obstacles and tasks. Exploring these challenges in the low-risk environment of a game, and guided by Blue Ridge Hospice’s trained and certified staff of grief counselors and Music Therapists, the Game to Grow model creates opportunities to learn new coping skills and allows participants to express their grief in indirect and non-threatening ways.
“We want to innovatively serve young adults who feel socially isolated and want to process their grief but wouldn’t traditionally seek counseling,” said Christina Thomas, LCSW, Grief Support Counselor at Blue Ridge Hospice. “The creativity and social interactions that take place during our specialized tabletop RPG game will create a fertile ground for healing.”
Development of “Adventures Through Grief” is made possible by a $30,000 grant, awarded to Blue Ridge Hospice by The New York Life Foundation through its competitive Grief Reach program that supports organizations serving bereaved youth. The New York Life Foundation is the largest corporate funder in the field of childhood grief support.
About Blue Ridge Hospice
Blue Ridge Hospice is a community-based, not-for-profit serious illness and end-of-life care provider that has been serving friends and neighbors across the northern Shenandoah Valley since 1981. With a mission of “brightening life’s journey with quality and compassionate care for all whom we are privileged to serve,” Blue Ridge Hospice serves Winchester City and the northern Virginia counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, and Warren. Accredited by The Joint Commission, Blue Ridge Hospice consistently exceeds the national averages for quality as reported on Medicare’s Hospice Compare website. Contact us to learn more about Blue Ridge Hospice, or call 540-313-9200.
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