We were so excited to receive funding to allow us to provide a fully funded 7-week Heart-to-Heart intervention in our local community.
5 parents and their children attended the group that was delivered by 2 Clear Sky therapists in a local primary school, right before the end of the school day.
Heart-to-Heart sessions offer parents a space to connect with their child, without the usual distractions of life. During sessions, the parent and child are guided through playful games that support relationships through connection, communication, and watching and wondering. We played movement games, we built dens, listened to stories, created imaginary lands, junk models and sensory toys. It was amazing to watch the relationships among group members flourish, with young children demonstrating empathy and support to their peers, and parents letting their little ones take the lead and master their play.
As we neared the end of the 7 weeks, there was an overwhelming desire for sessions to continue from all group attendees and the facilitators.
Parents shared things like…
- This is a space where children can be themselves
- I feel as though I understand my child more
- I felt really shy at first, though this helped me to come out of my shell. Both my child and I loved it
- I feel as though this was exactly what my child needed
The children expressed gratitude for their wonderful adults each week. Though we were all sad that such a fun group was coming to a close, new friendships were formed, and many happy memories were made. We can’t wait for our next Heart-to-Heart group!