The new psychoeducation project conceived by CiaoLapo for parents affected by perinatal bereavement
In Lecco and Prato a new project by CiaoLapo for psychological support for perinatal bereavement
After ten years of work and study in the field of self-help and perinatal psychology, the association proposes a path of psychological support inspired by cognitive-behavioral techniques and psychoeducation.
The pilot project, conceived by Micaela Darsena together with Claudia Ravaldi, Letizia Giorgini and Cecilia Ginanni, will start in Lecco and Prato.
Why a psychoeducation group for perinatal bereavement?
“Perinatal loss, regardless of the causes or the gestational period in which it occurs, brings with it a lot of suffering for parents and often for all family members. It represents a crisis event with the characteristics of a real psychological trauma with short and long-term relapses if not adequately elaborated. The death of a child during pregnancy violently and unexpectedly interrupts the parenting process and the bond of attachment that was established, which is both psychic and physical and corporeal. Parents who were preparing to welcome their child now find themselves with empty arms, projected into a dimension previously unimaginable.
Often people around it struggle to understand this mourning. In addition to the pain of the death of a child, parents also experience a strong sense of misunderstanding and loneliness. It is fundamental, in order to be able to process the loss, to see this pain recognized; a pain that must be able to go through but that must first be accepted and listened to.
How is mourning worked out?
Grief processing can be defined as the enactment of a series of psychological processes that tend to regulate emotions and learning mechanisms about the event and that require a profound revision of the existing mental model. It also requires the use of problem solving strategies in order to accept the loss and lead to the adaptation of the subject to a world in which the child will be missing forever but in which it is possible to recover a good personal global functioning.
For this to happen, time and resources are needed and the person who tries to mourn should be supported but at the same time left free to face this path as he sees fit, with his own time and space.
In order to work through this mourning it is also necessary to know its characteristics, the emotions it brings with it, the peculiar phases; it is of fundamental importance to be able to compare and tell in a group of people who share a similar experience and to be able to do so in a climate of listening and not judgment. “
The “Through the storm” project
Following all these considerations we have thought of a psycho-educational and support path that can provide information and insights on the characteristics of perinatal bereavement, on the stages of processing, where it is possible to talk about the issues that frequently arise after the death of a child. (anger, sense of guilt, stages of elaboration, etc.) being able to compare with operators trained in perinatal bereavement and with other parents who are facing the same process of processing in an ad hoc space-time, of listening and non-judgment in which parents can feel their feelings legitimate and feel free to tell their story. “
Through the storm
8 meetings every two weeks
Each meeting consists of a thematic information part and a part of comparison and facilitated exchange between parents.
The group is accessed following an interview with the project representatives (Micaela Darsena and Tanja Girgenti for Lecco, Letizia Giorgini and Cecilia Ginanni for Prato)
The group will be activated with a minimum of 3 participants and the maximum number of participants for each edition is 12.
It is possible to access in pairs or individually.
In Lecco the meetings will be held starting from the month of September on Monday evening at the Center For Families – Dire Fare Giocare, in Via Frà Galdino, 5
In Prato the meetings will be held starting from October at the headquarters of CiaoLapo Onlus, via degli Abatoni 11/11, Prato.
For more information Lecco: micaela.darsena@libero.it tanjagirgenti@hotmail.com
Micaela S. Darsena , psychotherapist psychologist, collaborator and volunteer of the CiaoLapo Onlus association. For the association she deals with psychological support for bereaved parents and psychological support in subsequent pregnancies, Facilitate AutoMutuoAuto Groups for bereaved parents and training for health workers regarding perinatal bereavement and support for parents.
Tanja Girgenti, educator and volunteer of the CiaoLapo Onlus association. For the association she deals with awareness-raising and awareness-raising initiatives on perinatal bereavement, for citizens and health workers, in the Lecco area.
For more information Prato: toscana@ciaolapo.it
