WINCHESTER, Va., July 2, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Blue Ridge Hospice has been awarded a two-year,
$340,000 research grant from the New
York Life Foundation to study the effectiveness of its innovative
Adventures Through Grief program, utilizing a custom tabletop
role-playing game (RPG) similar to Dungeons and Dragons tailored
for bereaved adolescents and young adults.
The Adventures Through Grief program utilizes a therapeutic
method originally developed by Game to Grow, a not-for-profit
organization dedicated to the use of table-top games for
therapeutic, educational, and community growth. The method was
modified by Blue Ridge Hospice to specifically address grief, as
made possible by a previous $30,000
Grief Reach grant award from the New York Life Foundation in
2022.
Throughout the program, participants will use creative social
skills to tackle imaginary dangerous obstacles and tasks. Exploring
these challenges in the low-risk environment of a game and guided
by trained and certified staff of grief counselors, the Game to
Grow model creates opportunities to learn new coping skills and
allows participants to express their grief in indirect and
non-threatening ways.
"We aspire to innovatively support socially isolated young
adults navigating grief, particularly those hesitant to engage in
traditional counseling," expressed Tina
Thomas, LCSW, MS, Children and Families Grief Support
Coordinator at Blue Ridge Hospice. "Through our unique
therapeutically applied tabletop RPG module developed especially
for this program and the purpose of providing grief counseling, we
foster a nurturing environment where creativity and social
interaction converge, cultivating fertile ground for profound
healing journeys."
Blue Ridge Hospice has enlisted licensed clinical psychologists
Elizabeth Kilmer, PhD., and
Jared Kilmer, PhD., to lead research
efforts aimed at publishing a comprehensive paper on the efficacy
of tabletop role-playing games as grief interventions for teenagers
and young adults, addressing a critical gap in existing research by
evaluating its applicability and impact on targeted populations
through standardized assessments of grief, social isolation, and
loneliness.
"In this journey of healing, we extend our gratitude for the
philanthropic support provided by the New York Life Foundation.
Their partnership and commitment empower us to expand the horizons
of grief support, ensuring no young adult walks alone. Together, we
will pave pathways of hope and resilience," expressed Jason Parsons, President & CEO of Blue Ridge
Hospice.
Blue Ridge Hospice will select up to eight partner grief centers
and organizations nationwide, offering 20 hours of facilitator
training for up to 24 grief professionals and implementing a
10-week program. Partner sites will receive $15,000 each for program implementation and
continuous consultation, with an obligation to collect and submit
data for research purposes. The application window for partner
sites is now open via BlueRidgeHospice.org/ATG-Apply,
closing on July 31, 2024, and a
Q&A session will be hosted on July
29 at 3 p.m. EST.
"Our mission is grounded in compassion and driven by the belief
that together we are stronger in times of grief. As teens and young
adults embark on this transformative quest, they will be empowered
to navigate their emotions with courage and resilience," added
Susana Calley, LCSW, Director, Grief
Support Services at Blue Ridge Hospice.
About Blue Ridge Hospice
Blue Ridge Hospice is a
community-based, not-for-profit serious illness and end-of-life
care provider that has been serving friends and neighbors across
the northern Shenandoah Valley and northwestern Virginia since 1981. With a mission of
"brightening life's journey with quality
and compassionate care for all whom we are privileged to serve,"
Blue Ridge Hospice serves Winchester
City and the counties of Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Page, Rappahannock, Shenandoah, and Warren. Accredited by The Joint Commission,
Blue Ridge Hospice consistently exceeds the national averages for
quality as reported on Medicare's Hospice Compare
website. To learn more about Blue Ridge Hospice
visit brhospice.org, or call 540-313-9200.
Contact:
Kim
Golanski
(540) 617-2754
kgolanski@blueridgehospice.org
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SOURCE Blue Ridge Hospice