Sunbeams

Through SunBeams, children ages 3-5 will have an opportunity to grieve the loss in their family and develop appropriate coping mechanisms for life.
The process involves weekly meetings with a trained Facilitator in a small group of no more than five children. In the sessions, children have the opportunity to talk about their feelings and to share their grief in a safe and supportive environment. The sessions involve using activities such as puppets, bears and games, especially designed to help the participants express their feelings and to learn new coping strategies.
The participants work through the grief process to enable them to cope with the stresses of divorce, separation or loss. They also work with a variety of materials that provide an outlet for their feelings and an opportunity to develop more trusting relationships with their peers.

The Rainbows program is designed as a grief-support, harm prevention program for young children, giving them the opportunity to read about children who have had experiences of loss.

Each participant can compare, discuss and share feelings in the group, work through reactions and discuss skills relating to their handling of their own life experience. The program spans up to 12 weekly sessions and includes related activities and games.

All participants plus the Facilitator are bound by confidentiality but each participant can discuss with a parent what they themselves feel or have shared.

In our Spectrum programs, adolescents gain an opportunity to discuss ever-changing feelings at a crucial age. Spectrum has three programs, catering for each level of Junior, Middle and Upper secondary. Each level consists of 12 sessions with age-appropriate games and activities included.

Establishing an identity and personality is vital for youth as they develop. Spectrum gives adolescents facing grief and bereavement an opportunity to be candid in a confidential, empathetic atmosphere. Listening without judgement is key to the Facilitators’ role as they can often be the only listening ears available to disheartened adolescents.
The Junior secondary program continues the story of the young people who were introduced during the Rainbows primary school program.
Our “Making Things Better” journal works on two levels. The first grouping focuses on adolescents from age 13 to 15, with the second from 16 to 18. Groups are small, with intimate meetings within the aforementioned age groups, of three to six people. All discussions are strictly confidential and geared toward the emotional needs of each person.

Rainbows Australia has a Community Crisis Response program. This program is ideal for sites assisting children and families during crisis events such as natural disasters (e.g. bushfires and floods), acts of violence or civil unrest that occur in a community.

There is also an Indigenous Silver Linings program.

These programs address three age groups across the school community. Each program manual has six sessions and is able to be conducted with a class in the aftermath of the crisis experienced.

School teachers can facilitate the Silver Linings programs and do not need to be trained Rainbows Facilitators.