Navigating grief can be especially difficult and complex for kids. To help children and their families through this difficult time, Granite VNA is bringing back Helping Heal with Others, or H2O, a monthly program that provides grieving children ages six to 18 and their families with coping skills and peer support to help them experience and process grief.

Granite VNA will host a drop-in informational session on Saturday, August 5, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Boys and Girls Club of Central NH, 55 Bradley Street, Concord, New Hampshire.

“Grief can be really difficult for adults to manage, but it is particularly hard for kids. Oftentimes kids haven’t developed the understanding and coping skills to deal with the intense and confusing feelings that can accompany grief,” said Granite VNA Medical Social Worker and H2O facilitator Davis Richmond, LICSW. “Kids of all ages also often feel as though they are ‘the only one’ their age who has lost someone, so one of the most meaningful aspects of H2O is the connections they – and the adults – make with peers who have had similar experiences. Those connections are very powerful and helpful in the grieving process.”

H2O is facilitated by agency staff and volunteers who use age-appropriate art, music and other creative activities, as well as pet therapy and stress management techniques offering space for expression and healing.

Part of H2O is concurrent and supportive programming for parents and other caregivers who accompany children and adolescents to each session.

The H2O program will run September 9, 2023 to June 8, 2024. Sessions will be held the second Saturday of each month, 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., at the Boys and Girls Club of Central NH in Concord. The program is offered at no charge, but registration is required. Lunch is provided to all participants each week.

For more information about the drop-in H2O informational session, about the 2023-2024 program, or to register, please call 603-224-4093, ext. 82822, or visit www.granitevna.org/griefsupport.