Lifeline provides compassionate support for people. Whilst Lifeline’s crisis and text service is there to support people in crisis, there is an opportunity to help people before they get to that crisis point.in. Lifeline understands that human connection can help people get through their darkest moments. People that are bereaved or experiencing loss can feel alone in their grief. That is why the Northern Beaches Lifeline counselling service value’s the Seasons for Growth program. as
As Barbara Stenhouse, Counselling Manager at Lifeline Northern Beaches shares “we don’t do grief particularly well in the Western World, but Seasons for Growth gives people permission to have their feelings recognised, and this is a good start.”
What is “Seasons for Growth? “
The Seasons for Growth Adult Program consists of two separate components:
• Understanding Change, Loss and Grief (1 x 3 hour seminar session) is designed for use in a wide variety of workplaces and community settings to deepen understandings of the nature and impact of change, loss and grief on the lives of groups or individuals.
• Exploring the Seasons of Grief (8 hours in total - 4 x 2 hour small group workshop sessions) creates a safe place for participants to learn together in small groups of 4-7 adults. The program supports participants in learning about the personal impacts of change, loss and grief, whilst developing skills in communication, decision-making and problem-solving. This helps to restore self confidence and self-esteem.
The Seasons for Growth Adult Program consists of two separate components:
• Understanding Change, Loss and Grief (1 x 3 hour seminar session) is designed for use in a wide variety of workplaces and community settings to deepen understandings of the nature and impact of change, loss and grief on the lives of groups or individuals.
• Exploring the Seasons of Grief (8 hours in total - 4 x 2 hour small group workshop sessions) creates a safe place for participants to learn together in small groups of 4-7 adults. The program supports participants in learning about the personal impacts of change, loss and grief, whilst developing skills in communication, decision-making and problem-solving. This helps to restore self confidence and self-esteem.
How does it work?
Barbara reflects that for Lifeline Northern Beaches the Adult program has been particularly successful as a preventative program. Lifeline supports at pre, inter and postvention periods. They have found that people will often google grief and loss, and then self-refer to the program. Others come through word of mouth or referral from other agencies. Program information is sent out through the local mental health inter agencies.
5 or 6 people in a group is optimum. The needs of the group can vary. One group had a common theme of more generic grief and loss – life changes, retirement, bereavement. Another became a suicide bereavement group, which of course had a more complicated grief process. Having this common grief helped participants find solace as well as open up about their own grief, Barbara said. She also reflected that it wasn’t ideal to have only one person in a group that had suffered a suicide bereavement, as it may be challenging for that person, and that a group with 2 people that had suffered a suicide bereavement, alongside a couple experiencing other grief also worked well.
Groups work best face to face, the pandemic had a significant impact on this delivery, but with restrictions now ceased, Northern Beaches Lifeline are back to running 3- 4 groups a year. The groups are run from 6.30 to 830 pm in the evening, allowing people to attend after work, or when other competing demands have been completed from the day. Lifeline always have 2 companions - Seasons for Growth trained facilitators, at each session to ensure there is sufficient support for the participants. Northern Beaches Lifeline have 7 trained companions in total.
Seminars are a great way to introduce the program
Barbara explained that she had found when working with retirement villages that the seminars were a great introduction to the program. The seminars helped kick start conversations around grief and broke down that sense of isolation that loss can bring. Often people only associate grief and loss with bereavement, but the seminar helps them understand that they can suffer grief after big life changes, for example, moving into a retirement village and leaving their family home can be a huge rift. This 3 hour session provides a perfect introduction to the topic of grief and loss but doesn’t move into people's individual experiences - they can choose to do the more personal group when they are ready.
Parent Program
The team trained in the parent program but haven’t found this to have the take up they anticipated. They did take the program to one school and adapted it to suit the needs of the community at the time. The young person that had died was part of a Pride club, so the team brought in a peer worker from the LGBTI community to speak to parents about how they could support their children.
Aged Care
Seasons for Growth is a great program for working with people living in Aged Care. There has been significant loss across the community with an increase in deaths and isolation during COVID, this is alongside the many changes and losses that people have experienced. The program allows people the time and space to look back on their lives and reflect on grief and loss over that time. They can tell their stories to others and share special moments and memories through the group gatherings.
Bringing people together at a time of loss, it really does help
Seasons for Growth guides and supports individuals. But participants also build networks, often sharing phone numbers with each other at the end of a session, so that they can continue that connection. People no longer feel alone in their grief. Sharing their stories, helps to validate personal experiences and normalises that grief is part of the human condition.
It’s a long journey, living with grief is hard but tapping into support really helps.
The evaluation feedback that we ask people to complete on finishing the program is always extremely positive.