FAQ about MargaretAnn's Place

Just for Kids | Help for Grown-Ups | FAQ

FREQENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT MARGARETANN'S PLACE

What happens in a Peer Support/Education Group?

Children need to maintain a connection to the people who were important to their life. MargaretAnn's Place helps the children nurture memories by talking about the person who died, creating photo albums, memory books and acknowledging special occasions. We encourage children to express their feelings through play, art, writing and other expressive means. Such activities help the child manage overwhelming feelings.

During Peer Support/Education Group, children are grouped by age depending on how many families are present that evening. Activities are carefully designed to help the children work on their feelings surrounding the death of their loved one.

Sadness is the most obvious emotion to expect after a loss, but certainly not the only one. Fear looms large for most of these children. Who will take care of them? Where will we live? Will I die too? At MargaretAnn's Place we address these fears and concerns and help the children work out their feelings to discover their own personal security.

Why should my child attend Peer Support/Education Group at MargaretAnn's Place?

In a child's world, few fates are worse than being different. At MargaretAnn's Place, children learn that they are not alone with their experiences. They have the ability to interact with other children who are experiencing the death of a loved one. Sharing their grief with other children who understand their fears and frustrations helps the child find balance and normalcy in their life.

The fact that you love the child makes you good source of such support, but your own grief may leave you sapped of energy. At MargaretAnn's Place we provide the support that permits you and your child the time to grieve.

Children find friends at MargaretAnn's Place who share their pain. Friends they can lean on. Friends they can trust with their most personal feelings. It is truly kids helping kids.

Would my teenager benefit from attending peer support/education group at MargaretAnn's Place?

Peer support groups are one of the best ways to help bereaved teens heal. In group teens can connect with other teens who have experienced a loss. They are allowed and encouraged to tell their stories as much, and as often, as they like. In this setting most will be willing to acknowledge that death has been a life altering experience.

During the teenage years, your child is seeking independence and learning to act on their own. They are naturally separating from their parents. This can be a difficult and confusing time for a teen who is also experiencing death.

MargaretAnn's Place provides the safety and security that your teen needs to work through these complex issues. Our trained volunteers provide the atmosphere to explore these issues that help validate the teens experiences so that the teens can deal with their grief in a safe and healthy way.

Why is it important to get support for my grieving children?

Healing from grief isn't just about coping with the immediate feelings when a death occurs but how a child integrates the experience into his daily life. Grief is a life long process and children will grieve differently through each developmental stage of their life. A variety of negative behaviors and symptoms can be linked to unresolved grief. Truancy, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, depression, anxiety and suicidal tendencies can all be traced to a child's inability to cope with the death of a loved one.

MargaretAnn's Place understands this and has developed a series of programs to help your children through the grieving process. We are the constant during this uncertain time. We are here to listen and to help you and your family get through these difficult times.

My son's soccer practice is the same evening as Peer Support/Education Group? Is it okay to choose soccer over MargaretAnn's Place?

While it's important to retain a sense of normalcy for your child, it's also important for your child to work through his grief. At MargaretAnn's Place we have specially designed activities that provide a safe way to acknowledge these feelings and work through the changes one experiences while grieving the death of a loved one.

Your son may resist coming to MargaretAnn's Place or may not seem to participate much during group. While this may seem disconcerting to you, it is very normal for a child to refuse to talk about his feelings when he may be unsure of them himself.

Attending group on a regular basis will provide that sense of trust and security that your child may need to feel comfortable enough to explore his own feelings. While your son may not be actively participating in activities, he is listening and learning from his peers. Eventually he will feel comfortable to talk about his loss and the changes to his family dynamics. Grief cannot be rushed and children need to work through their grief at a pace that is comfortable for them and adds to their sense of security and well being. We've received feedback from several families that their child reluctantly attended group but by the end of the evening, or after several months of attending group, they were glad they came.

Does it cost money to attend Peer Support/Education Group?

No. MargaretAnn's Place offers this service free of charge to families in need.

We are a nonprofit organization and rely on our fundraisers to support our activities and to develop a presence in the community. We ask our families to support these activities by participating in our fundraising events and to help get the word out about our services to the community.

Where & When are the Peer Support/Education Groups held?

MargaretAnn's Place currently holds its Peer Support Group at the following locations:

Kenosha County - St. John the Evangelist, Twin Lakes, WI

Racine - Mt Pleasant Lutheran Church, 1700 S. Green Bay Road, Racine, WI

Group time - 6:15 - 7:45 p.m.

MargaretAnn's Place
Wisconsin's Center of Hope for Grieving Children

Mailing Address: 912 N. Hawley Rd., Milwaukee, WI 53213
414-732-2663 or 414-599-0888 or Toll Free (866) 455-HOPE (4673)
E-mail: hope@margaretannsplace.org