Thanks to funding from the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner, RoadPeace is launching an eight-week online Resilience Building Programme for families bereaved by road deaths in West Mercia on Wednesday 30th March 2022. Sessions will be held weekly every Wednesday evening from 6pm-8pm online on Zoom (please note that the start date is subject to change).
West Mercia covers the areas of Worcestershire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Telford & Wrekin and the programme is open to those who have lost loved ones to road crashes in West Mercia or where the bereaved families reside in the West Mercia area.
The Resilience Building Programme is a specifically designed trauma support programme delivered in small groups and provided by trained group facilitators. The programme offers families the opportunity to build up a peer support network by meeting others bereaved by road crashes, whilst learning about the psychological and physiological impact of their bereavement.
Many bereaved families tell us that they often deal with symptoms of depression, anxiety and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following a sudden and traumatic loss. Using a range of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) methods and relaxation techniques, participants should expect to gain tools and learn different ways to cope with the natural reactions to an unnatural death such as nightmares, flashbacks, negative memories, avoidance and sleeplessness.
In order to be considered for the programme most participants will need to have been bereaved for six months or longer and will be willing to undergo a thorough screening process completed by a RoadPeace team member.
“The programme has helped us so much and although life will never be the same again, it has given us the tools to use and an idea of how to live the rest of our lives.”
This programme is free of charge.
If you would like to read more about the upcoming Resilience Building Programme or to read the Independent Evaluation funded by the Ministry of Justice, please click here.
If you would like to be considered for the programme or would like further information, please contact West Mercia’s Victim Care Coordinator on suzanne.wright@roadpeace.org or contact the national helpline on 0845 4500 355 who will put you through to the relevant team member.
Updated on: 2 March 2022