701.000.0000
PO Box 85 Bismarck, ND 58502
Helping Children Navigate Grief
Grief is a feast of feelings and emotions, made up of different ingredients, mixed and stewed differently for each individual. What is universal, however, is that grief is not finite. It is a constant that ebbs and flows with time and circumstance. What’s more, everyone experiences and processes those feelings in their own way. It can be a lonely road filled with highs and lows, and for children those polarizing emotions are tricky to both understand and communicate effectively. Adults have the capacity to communicate their thoughts and find solutions that fit their needs as they navigate grief. Kids, though, are a completely different beast, and they don’t necessarily have the wherewithal to clearly state their feelings and process their emotions. They need outlets to effectively explore those emotions in a healthy, safe, and effectual matter.
O U R S E R V I C E S
G R O U P T H E R A P Y
Facilitated by a licensed mental health professional, youth gather in a safe community and discuss their experiences, gain support, and express emotions related to their loss.
Age Groups: 3-5 yo Grades K-5 Grades 6th-12th Young Adult (18-24 yo) Adults who have lost a pregnancy or infant |
G R O U P W O R K S H O P S
Workshops using, art, music, writing, and recreation (i.e. dance, equine therapy, gardening, and more!) will be offered to safely and effectively explore the questions and concerns that arise during their grieving process, and provide them with healthy tools and solutions to support them as they grieve and other obstacles they’ll cope with throughout their life.
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C A R E G I V E R S U P P O R T
While children are attending workshops, caregivers are encouraged to gather in a separate space with their peers who are experiencing similar life circumstances. Members gain support from each other and share tools needed to cope with their own grief process along with helping manage and support their dependents at home.
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C O N N E C T . C O M M U N I C A T E . N A V I G A T E .Soul 57's Mission
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T E S T I M O N I A L S
What Participants Are Saying
Soul 57 has given not only my children, but myself a place where we don't feel so alone. My children were both preschool age when I lost my husband, and I had no idea what grief looked like in children their age. We had not immediate resources or support besides outside therapies. With Soul 57, my children have an outlet and safe place to share their feelings, behaviors, and thoughts with people who are specially trained and who I believe truly love our family no matter what stage of grief that we are in. They have also helped me know how to support my children as their mom and given me strategies to navigate life moving forward. Having a family centered place to heal has been crucial to our growth. Children are often forgotten grievers, but it is time for that to change. I believe Soul 57 is changing that. Children feel the effects of grief no matter their ages and I am grateful for a place where my children are not forgotten grievers. |
The support that Soul 57 has provided to our students at Bismarck High School is immeasurable. Because of Soul 57, our students have a safe space to connect with other peers who are grieving. Students have communicated that that they no longer feel alone navigating their loss. Students have expressed empowerment in being provided the opportunities to share their stories and have gained meaningful coping strategies that they can connect to in their grieving process, such as through written expression, music, and art. We are forever grateful for our partnership with Soul 57 and cannot thank them enough for investing in the lives of our students.
- - BHS Social Worker
Poem in Place of Testimonial
DEAR DEATH
Why do you take so many from us?
Why’d you take my loved ones away?
We create medicine
And cower behind machines,
Just to keep you at bay.
You feed on life
and snuff us out,
Like a little candle.
And then you leave our loved ones
To grieve—and for some,
It’s far too much to handle.
But others bottle it up,
Let it sit inside,
Until we’re filled like a balloon.
Then, eventually, we let it all out--
Crying, screaming, and saying,
“Gone too soon.”
– S.T., age 16, Student