Seasons for Growth is UK registered charity (Charity number: 1173121) that runs an early intervention grief education programme aimed at helping children, young people and adults through grief, brought about through loss or significant change in their lives.
Seasons for Growth is based on the belief that change, loss and grief are a normal and valuable part of life. We need to be able to examine how it impacts our lives.
Seasons for Growth provides the opportunity for each participant to integrate the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes to understand and cope with loss and grief. This takes place in a like-to-like peer support setting.
It is not counselling or therapy. This is an early intervention peer support education programme particularly suited to addressing variety of emotional and behavioural issues and reducing the amount of children and young people who require specialist help.
Who Can Be Helped?
Seasons for Growth supports children, young people and adults from school entry level upwards. It supports anyone who has undergone a significant change or loss in their lives. This can include (but not exclusively limited to):
- Family breakdown (divorce, separation, care situations)
- Death of a friend or relative
- Parental stresses (unemployment, imprisonment etc.)
- Injury disability or serious illness (self or others in the family)
- Loss of self-esteem
Does the Programme Work?
Yes. Because Seasons for Growth is evidence based practice and is continuously evaluated to ensure it is meeting the needs of the people is it designed to support. Results from evaluations in 2009 have shown that, among other results, Seasons for Growth has helped children and young people to:
- Become more focused, attentive in class.
- Improve attendance.
- Have greater confidence & raised self-esteem
- Be more in control of their emotions – less challenging or anti-social behaviour.
- Improve communication, strengthen relationships with family and peers and new friendships.
- Knowing they have choices about how they respond to changes/situations.