Lakeport >> Linda Laing, licensed marriage and family therapist and director of bereavement services for Hospice Services of Lake County, made a presentation to the National Bereavement Camp Conference (NBCC) in Washington, D.C. in November.
Laing was selected to present on the power of the creative process to engage families in healing based on her work with the Wings of Hope bereavement camps hospice has held in Lake County for the past 18 years. The camps focus on art projects as a treatment for families who have experienced the loss of a loved one. The projects help families and children express their feelings and begin to lay the foundation for healing.
The NBCC, in its fourth year, is an educational opportunity for professionals in the bereavement field. Presenters at the conference are selected based on the new, successful and inspiring techniques they use in their work and who are willing to share the value of their experience with colleagues. This year the NBCC was attended by professionals from three countries and 27 states. During the course of two days the attendees heard from two keynote speakers and had access to 21 breakout sessions. Laing’s 75-minute presentation was packed with people wanting to learn more about hospice’s camps.
The Wings of Hope bereavement camps are held in Lake County three times a year. There are two one-day camps in fall and spring and a three-day camp in the summer. The camps are for families with children who have lost a family member and are struggling to navigate their way through grief. Through a series of art projects, music therapy and equine therapy, families come together in a safe and secure place to explore and express their feelings and begin the healing process together in a new family configuration.
According to Laing, it is not unusual for parents who are grieving to find themselves at a loss as to how to comfort their own grieving children and help them cope without some strong support and guidance. The Wings of Hope family bereavement camps strive to provide that support and guidance for families in Lake County. The camps are free to the families and depend on donations from the community to continue to provide them. For more information about the bereavement camps or to make a tax deductible donation, call (707) 263-6222.
Christine Hutt is director of community relations for Hospice Services of Lake County.
