About Jacinta’s Smile
Jacinta’s Smile, operating under the umbrella of Vita House’s mental health services, aims to provide supports to children (ages 7 – 17) and young adults (ages 18 – 25) who have experienced sibling bereavement. The founders have lost three siblings themselves and are acutely aware that very little mental health support is available for children and young adults who experienced the death of a sibling.
When a child dies the community understandably rushes to comfort parents. However, they often fail to acknowledge the loss of the siblings left behind as many do now know how to support the bereaved child and often fail to take account of their grief and the extraordinary change in family life. Often the sibling’s grief is overlooked, and they may go through their childhood and young adulthood without ever encountering someone who has had a similar sibling bereavement experience. Unfortunately, this can manifest into unhealthy long-term mental health issues.
Jacinta’s Smile’s mission is to raise awareness about sibling bereavement and create tailored support services for bereaved children so they can constructively deal with their grief, lessen feelings of isolation, and come away feeling secure and focused on their own future.
Services We Provide
Jacinta’s Smile is a growing organisation and currently provides the following key supports to bereaved siblings:
- Subsidised counselling services: Qualified counsellors have been hand-selected to provide tailored counselling to bereaved siblings across Ireland. Each counsellor on the Jacinta’s Smile Counselling Database is has been interviewed for their suitability to work with children and young adults. Each is professionally educated, accredited by a recognised psychotherapy association, highly experienced, and offer a variety of supports including play therapy for younger clients. The counsellors we work with have many years of experience and have worked with bereaved clients presenting with a range of issues including anger management, anxiety, self-harm, drug use, suicide ideation, eating disorders, and more.
- Adventure days: these day-long outdoor activities enable bereaved siblings to meet other youths with similar experiences. By engaging with peers, participants are encouraged to reflect and vocalise their experience of sibling grief and the impact it has had on their lives. Adventure days are facilitated by an experienced counsellor who highlights the resilience of attendees. It is about getting young people to affirm their value, visualise a promising future for themselves, and learning how to advance in life without being held back by grief.
Contact Details
Jacinta’s Smile Co-ordinator
Landline: 090 662 5898
Mobile: 087 422 0000
Email Address: info@jacintassmile.ie
Web Address: www.jacintassmile.ie
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jacintassmile