Anam Cara is very pleased to announce our first Bereavement Information Evening especially dedicated to supporting surviving siblings this autumn. As part of our commitment to supporting everyone following the death of a child, we are exploring opportunities to further support the wider family. This event is the first, hopefully of many, of that commitment. This event is open to all parents whose child or children have died, regardless of the age of their child, circumstances of their death, or time since bereavement.

We are joined by an exceptional panel of local organisations and experts in sibling bereavement. 

Michelle Hartnett is a senior play therapist, systemic practitioner, and bereavement specialist currently working with LauraLynn, Ireland’s Children’s Hospice, with over 15 years’ experience supporting families through serious illness, grief, and loss. Michelle holds an MSc in Systemic Therapy and an MSc in Bereavement Studies, and is a Grief Consultant with Middlesex University. She also holds a postgraduate certificate and diploma in Play Therapy from NUI Galway.

Anna May is founder of The Student Grief Network and Executive Head of Grief Programmes at Kaplan International. She lost her brother as a child and her dad as a young adult, and is passionate about improving the support that people get following a bereavement. Anna is also a writer and artist, interested in how creativity can help us explore difficult human experiences and build more connected ways of living.

We are also joined by Childhood Cancer Ireland, Jacinta’s Smile, and Rainbows. 

In the world of grief and loss, siblings, especially adult siblings, are often called ‘forgotten mourners.’ In the language of grief and loss, their experience can be disenfranchised, or placed lower on a social hierarchy of grief. Your participation in sharing this event with your community is an essential step in building growing island-wide support for bereaved siblings. We are so grateful for your trust in us as a safe place for families bereaved of a child of any age.