Sibs Place

Professional mental health staff foster resiliency through the encouragement of peer support and creative arts activities. During a traumatic family experience, it is important for the well child to identify their feelings through increased self-expression and coping skills. With each program experience, the organization strives to provide participants with the opportunity for healthy growth and development. The door is open to all children no matter what hospital is treating their loved one. Peer support groups to address issues of anticipatory grief are offered twice weekly. Parent support groups are available twice a week because each member of a family is impacted by traumatic illness. A 6-week summer camp experience, bereavement services and a monthly pre-teen and teen group are offered to support our Sibs Place, Inc. (survivorship in brothers and sisters, "Sibs Place") families effectively. Sibs Place is a donor-funded program, and serves a population that has been historically underserved, at no cost to the families. The only program of its kind in the united states and has provided 218 child and parent participant visits benefitting 85 families during the twelve months ended december 31, 2023. Serious illness and death of a loved one takes its toll on the body, mind and soul of families. How parents and siblings cope with this life altering experience shapes future family dynamics. The reality is, when one family member has a devastating illness and when there is a loss, the well child suffers too. Often, families who have a devastatingly ill loved one or who are coping with a death, are too distracted to focus on the needs of the children in the home. It is a difficult reality for all the family members. At Sibs Place we provide a supportive and nurturing environment where children can come together and through play, art and music therapies learn coping skills that will help them lead more effective lives today, and in their future. During programming, using the Sibs Place model, we address the children's needs through the following peer support activities: 1. Art group-facilitated by creative arts therapist and mental health professionals. 2. Verbal groups - facilitated by licensed mental health professionals - included age-appropriate group discussions- teen and pre-teen - psycho-education. 3. Homework assistance- support is provided by trained volunteers including retired teachers. 4. Parents support groups- facilitated by mental health professionals. 5. Community meal- each program evening. 6. Additional events include: -peer engagement and empowerment activities - parenting & wellness workshops. 7. Camp Sibs- six weeks of on an off-site summer activities program. Once covid restrictions were lifted in march 2022 all services were offered face to face, while still offering virtual programming.