Asse (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – A new monthly grief support group in Asse helps children aged 6–12 who have lost a loved one. The program, run by Missing You with AMALO and Reveil, supports emotional expression.
As VRT News reported, a new grief support group has opened in Asse, in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium, for children aged 6 to 12 who have lost a loved one. The group meets once a month and gives children a safe place to express their feelings.
They can use drawing, painting, sculpting, or storytelling to show their emotions. The sessions also allow children to meet others who have experienced loss. This helps them feel understood and supported.
“Children grieve too, and it’s important that we see and hear their grief,”
say Sonja and Caterine of the non-profit organisation Missing You, who launched the project in collaboration with the primary care zone AMALO and Reveil.
“When you, as a parent, lose a child, you no longer have the strength to cope. What about the children who are still alive? We offer a way to support them in this.”
“The children not only find comfort in each other, but also friendship.”
Sonja, employee at the non-profit organisation Missing You
How is Asse helping children cope with loss through grief support?
Elke, a mother from Merchtem, turned to the group after a personal tragedy. Her daughter Lia died of cancer at the age of one. She wanted to help her other daughters, Nala and Nela, deal with grief and anger. She mentioned that through the Asse group, her children could express their emotions freely and take part in creative activities.
“Many life questions arose: why is the world like this, why us?”
says Elke.
According to Elke, her daughter is now 9 years old and often feels lonely at school. Her classmates knew about her sister Lia’s death, but they did not fully understand what it means to lose someone close.
“Our daughter loved being able to talk about Lia there. They made crafts we wouldn’t have immediately thought of, like a basket where she kept notes for Lia. The children delved deeply, but that was allowed there. She says it helped her immensely.”
“I would feel much worse if we stopped talking about our daughter.”
Elke, mother of Nala, Lia and Nela
“We’ll continue to talk about Lia at home, because she still has a place in our lives. We just celebrated her birthday on October 7th, and now her death is approaching. That hurts, but I would find it much worse if we stopped talking about her,”
Elke said.
“We are happy that we can now attend a group here,”
Elke said.
“I know that many children in this area also need gatherings like this.”
Grief support groups already exist in Ghent, Sint-Niklaas, and Leuven. The Asse program is part of a plan to make these groups more accessible to children in different regions. It currently focuses on primary school children. Organisers hope the program can later expand to include children over 12.
Monthly grief support groups for children have grown over the past decades. The first known program started in 1982 at the Dougy Centre in Portland, Oregon. It gave children a place to share feelings after losing a loved one. In 1991, Ele’s Place opened in Lansing, Michigan, to support grieving children and their families. In 2002, Judi’s House was founded in Denver, Colorado, by former NFL player Brian Griese in memory of his mother.
