THE PRIMROSE Hospice has been delving into the online gaming world to support children and young people who have someone close to them with a life-limiting illness or are bereaved.
Alongside the regular support, the popular game Minecraft is used to provide extra therapy.
Many of the young people Primrose supports are already Minecraft users, so using the game therapeutically is a new avenue enabling them to support more people.
The Primrose has received training provided by Ellie Finch who specialises in counselling through video games, such as Minecraft.
Ellie said: “Using Minecraft therapeutically creates a service that is attractive and accessible to users whom traditional services fail to reach.
“Minecraft is like Lego, a sand tray, a place to play and have adventures all rolled in to one popular video game.”
Jenni, Primrose Hospice’s children and young people’s practitioner team lead, said:
“We find many of the young people we support struggle to communicate their emotions and they will often want to seek solace in the comfort of their homes playing video games. However, by integrating Minecraft into our support, we’ve discovered a powerful tool for breaking down these emotional barriers that may stop them from accessing our vital support.”
Visit primrosehospice.org/ or call 01527 889799 for more on the charity.
