Counsellor in Suffolk urges parents to talk to children about parental loss
Recent Parliament statistics show 1 in 5 dependant children in the UK don't have a father figure at home
A Counsellor in Suffolk says whilst many of us celebrate Father's Day, it may bring negative emotions for some families, so she's encouraging people to be kind and understanding this weekend.
Nicola Harbridge from Gosbeck is also a Psychotherapist and spoke to us about how the loss of a father figure can have a massive impact on people of all ages, who cope in different ways:
"When a parent dies, especially if the parent is in old age, I think people like to assume that's somehow easier and that people get over it. But they don't. A parent could have passed a long, long time ago. They're still going to miss that person."
"The most important thing is to help children celebrate father figures that they might have in their life. There might be an older brother, there might be an uncle or a family friend that does fatherly things with them."
Nicola is also encouraging us to check in on friends and family who might be struggling, saying ''the most important thing is they don't squash those feelings down and think that they're wrong for feeling them.'
She also suggested people try to develop coping mechanisms for helping work through how they're feeling such as journaling, talking to others, doing something nice for yourself or considering therapy.
In regards to children, Nicola explained that many of them may not have the vocabulary to share how they are feeling, so reading them a book on parental loss - or allowing them to express themselves through creative means such as arts and crafts - may provide some comfort.