Supporting healing through play.
Help us provide specialist play therapy for children impacted by baby loss.
Why Play Therapy Matters
Losing a child is one of the most devastating experiences a family can endure. For parents, siblings, and loved ones, navigating the emotional aftermath of such a loss is incredibly complex. While parents cope with their grief, siblings – especially young children – often struggle to understand their emotions or express what they are feeling.
Play therapy provides a safe, supportive environment for children to explore and process their grief in ways that feel natural and comfortable to them. These one-hour sessions, led by specially trained therapists, are adapted to each child’s individual needs. The therapist uses play-based methods to help children understand and manage their emotions, develop healthy coping mechanisms, and regain a sense of stability.
Why Play Therapy is Needed
- For many siblings this might be their first encounter with death, making it difficult for them to process their emotions.
- Children often lack the language skills to articulate their feelings, leading to confusion, frustration and anger.
- Seeing their parents in distress can add to the child’s anxiety and sadness, compounding their sense of loss.
The Impact of Mental Health Support
Without timely intervention, unresolved grief can impact a child’s education, social development, and overall well-being.
The current demand for mental health means that it is extremely difficult to access support and there are often lengthy waiting lists, leaving families without support during critical times. Providing free and easy to access play therapy sessions ensures that children can receive the support they need, when they need it most.
Your Support Can Make a Difference
Through our Talking Through Tears campaign, we’re raising funds to provide:
- Specialist play therapy sessions: Tailored to help children understand and manage their emotions.
- Timely access: Reducing waiting times and ensuring children receive help when they need it most.
- Free sessions: Ensuring every family has access to support, regardless of financial constraints.
Each child typically requires 15 sessions to fully benefit from play therapy, costing around £800 per child. Your donation can help us provide this life-changing support:
- Every £55 funds one session of play therapy for a grieving child.
- Your contribution helps us reach our annual goal of £60,000 to support families in need.
Richard, Michelle, and Finlay’s Story When Richard and Michelle’s daughter Emily was stillborn, their world shattered. In their grief, they realised their four-year-old son, Finlay, was also struggling – angry and lost in a world of questions, confusion, and sadness he couldn’t yet articulate.
“We wanted to help Finlay understand his feelings and process the loss of his baby sister, but there was no specialised support available for siblings like him,” Michelle shares.
This gap in support inspired Forever Stars to take action. Families like Richard, Michelle, and Finlay deserve the tools to heal together. That’s why we’re raising funds to provide play therapy for children impacted by baby loss, ensuring no one has to face their pain alone.
How You Can Support Talking Through The Tears
Your generosity can provide children with the support they need to navigate their grief and find a path to healing:
- Donate today to fund a play therapy session.
- Spread the word about the Talking Through Tears campaign.
- Speak to your employer about becoming a corporate supporter.
Help us ensure no child or family faces their grief alone.