Support Group for Parents

Brief Description:

Larger than Life has partnered with Ash’har – a national network offering psychological treatments, counseling and diagnosis – to provide services throughout Israel for parents of cancer stricken children.

The Need:

Parents need and deserve help for surviving and processing the trauma of their child having cancer. When a child is diagnosed, the entire family is changed as their lives revolve around doctors, hospitals, and chemotherapy. There is an great need for compassionate help to understand and process the effects of their child’s disease as well as the effects on their own mental health. Parents suffer the same social isolation and alienation as the child as they navigate their fears of having a potentially terminally ill child, non-stop medical appointments, and drastic changes to normal life.

The psychological toll on the family cannot be understated: many at a socio-economic disadvantage lack the tools to maintain hope above the trauma. Half of parents of children with cancer divorce because of the pressures inflicted on them during the long treatment period. Half of the parents lose their jobs during this long treatment timeline.

When the child returns home, returning to their everyday life routine is challenged by repressed emotions to the family crisis, including post-traumatic symptoms.

Parents are in need of an outlet to speak openly about their hopes, fears, and pains, and often just want to speak with people who understand what they’re going through.

The Program

Larger than Life has partnered with Ash’har Counseling and Psychological Services to offer psychological treatments and counseling to the parents. We provide individual and group counseling held by professional therapists and experts in psychotherapy and in a variety of therapeutic approaches.

The program consists of support groups of ~20 parents in each:

• Parents who have tragically lost their child to cancer
• Parents who presently support a sick child
• Parents of children who have recovered from cancer

Each of the annual meetings of the support groups are conducted by professional facilitators who provide the struggling parents with empowerment tools, hope, and the necessary means to manage their challenges.

Our ability to provide this critical mental health care is made possible through the generosity of people like you.

We hope that you’ll join our community and help support Israeli families who are fighting for their child’s life.