Wiltshire Treehouse is a service that provides support to young people that live around Swindon and Wiltshire. The service is a registered charity run by helpful volunteers who help the young people involved to overcome the effects of a bereavement. 

Bereavement is an incredibly challenging process to go through for individuals and can especially effect young people who may have had their first grief experience which is why this service is so beneficial. Some ways that Wiltshire Treehouse help to support young people is by introducing them to coping strategies, skills and confidence to help them with bereavement and other aspects of their daily lives. 

The programme that I have personally experienced with Wiltshire Treehouse is called ‘NEST’. NEST is a programme that runs for young people aged 11-18 who can explore their emotions and feelings via creative activities. They do these activities with other young people who have had the same experiences with them and share their experiences with each other. 

Another one of the programmes that Wiltshire Treehouse run is called ‘CHYPS’ which is a programme that supports both young people and their family members. The children that they support are from the ages 6-11. The programme includes a variety of families sharing their thoughts and feelings with each other with the help of physical activities. 

Daniella Page found Wiltshire Treehouse very helpful in helping her to come to terms with her own personal bereavement experience and will talk about her experience with Treehouse and the techniques she learnt along the way in her next article. 

If you're are finding it difficult to deal with your feelings after bereavement, find out more about Wiltshire Treehouse at www.treehousewiltshire.co.uk