SIBSPlace offers online Zoom camp counseling

SIBSPlace (Survivorship in Brothers and Sisters) is a free after-school therapeutic program that helps children and parents understand their emotions while dealing with the catastrophic illness of a family member. Sponsored by Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside it serves more than 300 children, 5 to 18, and offers parent support groups. Normally operating Monday through Thursday, the program’s summer camp is on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Board President Arlene Basner said there private support and office hours online is being offered for those facing individual hardship. “I’ve had kids say, ‘Sibs are my best days because in school I don’t talk about what’s going on but here everyone understands,’” she said.

Executive Director Joanna Formont, a licensed mental health counselor, said that although children are missing the typical socialization, the online summer program that is serving kids from 30 families across Long Island and Queens is teaching them lifelong coping skills for difficult situations such as the pandemic. “They can talk about their feelings and have adapted a backbone that we gave them to talk about how they feel,” she said. “Many of them are already used to isolation due to the sickness of a family member, we give them a safe place to relate to one another.”

Along with support from the community and schools, the Walter Kaner Children Foundation and Autum’s Colors has given financial support for SIBSPlace’s summer recreational activities, including what was called a Box of Summer Fun filled with the supplies needed need for the camp such as tie dye kits, sand art and jewelry-making materials, lava lamps, items to make a drum kit and assorted games.

Led by SIBSPlace child and family life specialist Kerri Wagner, who holds a master’s in creative arts therapy, the summer program children are putting their imaginations to use in coping with their emotions. “I had children keep a kite in their room, and have them imagine what it was like to not be able to fly it because of their isolation of the pandemic,” she said.
On July 14, kids gathered for a virtual drumming session led by Josh Robinson. They used pots and homemade drum sets with wooden spoons. Robinson has traveled across the country teaching in medical universities, prisons and private homes on how to cope with emotions through music. “If you don’t take out the trash it gets smelly and bad, emotions are like that too,” he said.

Robinson encouraged the children to drum out their emotions and how to use their struggles as a coping mechanism. When asked what kids missed about life before quarantine, they drummed to the beat of their responses. The children joined in by drumming to the words travel, friends, school and SIBSPlace. They said the exercise made them feel joyful, relaxed, peaceful and energized.

Formont said this time is being used to work on the new SIBSPlace location in Rockville Centre that will have larger therapeutic rooms, dining rooms, games and homework rooms. The more centralized location, Wagner said will offer easier access for families that come from farther distances. The hope is for an October opening. “Thinking about it makes me smile,” Basner said about the new venue.

For more on SIBSPlace visit https://sibsplace.org or call (516) 374-3000.