Residential Grief Camps: An Initial Phenomenological Study of Staff Perspectives

Authors

Tiffany B. Brown, University of Oregon
Thomas G. Kimball, Texas Tech University

Abstract

Research has focused primarily on the impact of death on family functioning and the stages and tasks of grief, though little attention has been given to grief camps or the experiences of those who work there. This study explored the experiences of staff at a four-day overnight children’s grief camp. Eight participants reported their experience of camp in two major categories: connection to others and independence in grief and five themes. Camp provides the opportunity for campers to connect to others while finding their own path to healing. Clinical implications and future research directions are also discussed.

Keywords

Grief Camps, Camp Staff, Children’s Grief, Phenomenology, Qualitative Research

Publication Date

1-1-2012

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2012.1808

Recommended APA Citation

Brown, T. B., & Kimball, T. G. (2012). Residential Grief Camps: An Initial Phenomenological Study of Staff Perspectives. The Qualitative Report, 17(1), 78-91. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2012.1808