Children Cope With Difficult Problems At Hingham Library [VIDEO]

For Briana, Devon, and Jillian Tontillo, swimming pools, chocolate, ponies, fishing and ice cream are all signs of happiness. Distant thoughts from their parents’ divorce. 

With the South Shore Hospital Friends of Hope Program, “Helping Children Cope,” the three Weymouth children, all under the age of 11 were able to address all of their feelings - happy and sad.

They do this with specially trained educators who draw all of their thoughts on paper and then discuss them with their parents.

“Helping Children Cope,” is a session held at the on the first Thursday of every month. The program is designed to help children in tough situations express feelings through art rather than trying to difficultly explain it in words.

While the program was initially designed for children who had family members with cancer, it is also used for children who have problems in their family.

All of the volunteers who run the programs are certified and trained to work with children.  The skilled instructors are child educators, guidance counselors, psychologists, and special education teachers who are registered volunteers of South Shore Hospital and donate their time to the program.

In this January’s session at the Hingham Library on Jan. 5, the South Shore Hospital Volunteers used the children’s’ story “ The Moon Balloon” by Joan Drescher.  With the story, children can express feelings through symbols and images that they may be unable to say in words.  With the educators, children  list all of their happy feeling and draw them in  a “Peace balloon” and then list all of their sad feelings and put them in a “Tear balloon.” The art therapy is designed so the children and their parents can visualize their emotions.

Julie Kembel, Co-Leader of the new South Shore Hospital Friends of Hope Program said children and adults learn together with the program, and later can use the same methods and materials at home to discuss feelings about a loved one’s illness or a family problem.

“Children are more likely to open a conversation based on our program,” Kembel said.

Kembel said the programs are not just run at the Library but are organized case by case and can be brought into daycare centers, nursery schools, and churches.

“We want to be where the family is most comfortable,” Kembel said.

The sessions are held in Hingham on the first Thursday of every month in the Whiton Room at the from 4:00 p.m.  to 7:00 p.m. and on the first Tuesday of every month at the Tufts Library in Weymouth at 4:30 p.m.

Anyone is welcomed to attend their next meeting on Thursday, Feb. 2 in Hingham.  For more information, contact Julie Kembel at 781-624-8919 or by email,  jakembel@NLAbooks.com.