Over 20 Years of Seasons for Growth

Seasons for Growth offers children and young people a safe space to come together, and share their experiences of change and loss.

You can train to facilitate Seasons for Growth groups to support the needs and priorities of the children and young people in your school or organisation.

 

WATCH & LISTEN

 

 

Launched in 1996, over 300,000 children, young people and adults have participated in Seasons for Growth programs in Australia, New Zealand, Scotland, Ireland, England and Wales.

Seasons for Growth is an innovative, evidence-based change, loss and grief education program that draws on the metaphor of the seasons to understand the experience of grief. It builds the knowledge and skills necessary to strengthen social and emotional wellbeing following significant loss by:

  • Exploring the impact of change and loss
  • Learning about effective ways to respond and adapt

Participants learn that they are not alone in their experience of change, loss and grief, and are able to build their communication, decision making and problem solving skills within the context of a safe and supportive peer group learning environment.

All Seasons for Growth programs are grounded in sound, person-centred educational principles.

As such, our programs have been shown to be a very effective education intervention. The programs do not provide counselling or psychotherapy.

What people say about Seasons for Growth

"I felt a lot better because I was letting all the pain out.  Sometimes in school I'd feel like crying about it, and I nearly cried. Then I just held it in. But when I went to Seasons (for Growth) I could just let it out, and talk about it.  I didn't need to cry because I could talk about it" (Matt, 9).

"Having other people with the same problem to talk to has really helped" (Antonio, 12).

"My life has got worse but what Seasons for Growth has done is help me come to terms with it all.  I cope a lot better.  No matter how bad things get, I now have somebody I trust to talk to" (Emma 16).

"I'd like to think my son wasn't affected by the divorce but I know he was. The program has helped him to know that it happens in other families too" (Parent)

"The Seasons for Growth training has helped me to realise the impact that change and loss can have on a kid's behaviour at school" (Teacher)

84% of our Companions say that Seasons for Growth has changed them, particularly in relation to improving their understanding of children, and in strengthening their own personal qualities.

 

Children and Young People's Program

The Seasons for Growth Children and Young People's Program strengthens the social and emotional wellbeing of children and young people (aged 6-18 years) who have experienced significant change or loss in their lives. The program provides a safe learning environment for children and young people where they can give voice to their experiences, understand and befriend their feelings, learn skills that help them adapt, develop friendships, and recognise ‘I’m not the only one’.

 

Adult Program

The Seasons for Growth adult program builds resilience and promotes the social and emotional wellbeing of adults as they adapt to change, loss and grief in their lives. While the adult program reflects the same underlying theory as the children and young people’s program, it incorporates sound adult learning principles and a wider range of life experiences.

 

Parent Program

The Seasons for Growth Parent Program has been devised to help parents develop the knowledge and skills to support children and young people through family change and loss.

 

Program Outline

The Seasons for Growth Children and Young People's Program, and Adult Program are small group programs (4-7 participants) delivered over 4-8 sessions. Each participant receives a journal to complete throughout the program. The topics covered in each session of the program include:

   •   Seasons and Change (autumn)

   •   My story and grief reactions (winter)

   •   Feelings and memories (spring)

   •   Choices and moving forward (summer)

As the name ‘Seasons for Growth’ implies, the different seasons of the year provide a rich symbolic framework in which to explore issues of change and loss. Drawing on the wide variation in the seasons, both in Australia and elsewhere, the metaphor speaks to the ‘ups and downs’ of life, reflecting both the competence and vulnerability of children, as well as the unique ways different ‘seasons’ in life are experienced.

The four seasons are each linked to one of J William Worden's four tasks of grief (3rd edition, 2009).  Worden's ‘task’ theory was originally developed to help understand bereavement. The Seasons for Growth program adapts these ‘tasks’ to help address other change and loss experiences, too.

 

What is different about Seasons for Growth?

Seasons for Growth is based on extensive research into how children, young people and adults process grief and loss.

 

Train to become a Companion

Get involved ... to facilitate the Seasons for Growth program, you must  undertake a two-day training workshop, available face to face and online.

 

SFG Fact Sheet

Download fact sheets for the Seasons for Growth program suite.