Program

Wombat’s Wish Weekend Camp:

At Wombat’s Wish, our flagship programs are our camps. This is held over a
weekend at various camp sites throughout Victoria. At no cost to the families that
attend, the child/young person is accompanied by their surviving parent or carer for
the weekend. Our camp program provides a safe place for a grieving child/young
person to grow, using programs developed by our psychologists and delivered by
trained professionals. The program provides children/young people with an
understanding of their grief and teaches them learning strategies to regulate difficult
emotions. We focus on practical coping strategies to grieve in healthy ways,
increasing confidence and self-esteem whilst reducing any associated mental health
impacts. When the children/young people are participating in the program over the
weekend, the parents/carers participate in their own groups. This includes learning
how to best support their children/young people throughout this journey as well as
connecting with other adults who have experienced a similar situation to their own.
Pleasingly, many informal social networks are created following our camp programs.

Group Counselling:

These are either a 1 or 1.5 hour session, delivered through the school term.

The main objective of this curriculum is to aid children through their grieving
process. Each session has specific objectives and overall the desired outcome is that
children are able to acknowledge and accept their loss, identify their feelings and
focus on positive memories. The six-week program covers understanding death,
identifying and expressing feelings, preserving memories, and coping with grief using
their strengths.

Family Days:

Family days are held throughout the year. These are a chance for families to
reconnect with one another in a safe and fun environment.

Participation with all family days is free of charge.