Proceedings, Oxford, UK (2002) - World Federation of Music Therapy

children’s conditions do not have a clear diagnosis. Referrals are
accepted from social services, the medical profession and parents. The
hospice provides respite and terminal care, and also offers bereavement
support to family members after the child’s death.
There are twenty-seven children’s hospices in the UK and seventeen
music therapists work part time at these hospices 100 . It is typical for
music therapists to work with the child who is ill. However, within the
hospice, music therapists will also work with, parents, siblings,
grandparents, staff, students (nurses and music therapists) and bereaved
family members.
At the hospice where I work, bereavement support plays a large part of
our care. In the four years since the hospice has been open,
approximately three hundred and thirty children have been referred and
sixty-eight children have died. Each family is offered bereavement
support that meets their needs, which include,
• Family visits
• Individual counselling
• Parents support groups
• ‘Holding on/Letting Go’ Grief support weekends for children
• Music Therapy (Individual / group sessions)
The majority of my bereavement work is with siblings. Parents, hospice
staff and teachers can make referrals for individual music therapy
sessions. Before starting my work with bereaved siblings, I felt that it
was important to acquire further training on bereavement practise and
100. Jessie’s Fund has set all of these posts up.
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