title: A pilot study of the impact of a grief camp for children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Research indicates that children benefit from supportive interventions to help them cope with the loss of a loved one. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate children's perceptions of the effectiveness of a grief camp.
  
  
  METHODS
  Semistructured interviews were performed with 18 children who attended a weekend-long grief camp. Children also responded to follow-up interviews via telephone. Their parents also completed surveys before camp began and either after camp ended or at a follow-up evaluation. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and content coding to uncover key themes in the interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children reported that art activities helped them to express feelings about their grief and release feelings of sadness and worry related to the death. Parents and children felt that the camp was a positive experience and that the children benefited from being in groups with peers who had also lost family members.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Evaluating the impact of grief camps, using practical methods such as the ones for this study, is important, as these camps are becoming more popular interventions. Children and parents may benefit from contact at specified follow-up periods after camp to determine if they would benefit from further therapy. Results also provide evidence of the success of this program, which supports the need for funding these types of interventions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Mail Location 376, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0376, USA. naborsla@email.uc.edu
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nabors
authors.forename: Marshae
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohms
authors.forename: Natasha
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Buchanan
authors.forename: Kenneth L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Kirsh
authors.forename: Tiffany
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nash
authors.forename: Steven D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Passik
authors.forename: Joni L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Snapp
authors.forename: Gretchen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D002656:Child Day Care Centers; D003376:Counseling / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010379:Peer Group; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires