Balloons aims to ensure that no child, young person or young adult in Exeter, Mid and East Devon goes without the bereavement support they need. We believe that everyone deserves a space to work through their feelings and concerns when they have been bereaved.
We offer free one-to-one grief support, usually over a 6-week period, for 5 to 25-year olds. These sessions consist of around an hour’s support each week, and the content of the sessions are bespoke, tailored to meet the needs, concerns and preferences of the child, young person or young adult. Grief support sessions could be focused on common themes such as; memories, thoughts and feelings, anxiety and anger. They could take the form of simply talking through these themes but often also include a degree of creative work.
In addition to our one-to-one grief support we also provide advice and support to families, young adults and professionals in relation to bereavement. This is a broad and comprehensive service run by our small staff team which includes advice to:
- Parents/carers following a bereavement or terminal diagnosis
- 16-25 year olds around their own bereavement
- Professional practitioners from schools, colleges or the University of Exeter who are concerned about a pupil/student following a bereavement or terminal diagnosis
- Schools following the death of a teacher or pupil