Photos: SIBSPlace celebrates spring break

SIBSPlace in Rockville Centre celebrated the final day of spring break with a “sports-themed” event, where kids dressed in their favorite team apparel and participated in an outdoor sports circuit. Other activities held during the break included activities involving expressive art therapy and a special visit from a pet therapy dog.  

SIBS — Survivorship in Brothers and Sisters — is a nonprofit organization affiliated with Mount Sinai South Nassau hospital that provides cost-free programs to more than 300 Long Island children between the ages od 5 and 18 who are coping with the life-threatening illness of a sibling or parent.

The programs provided by SIBSPlace are designed to provide a family-like atmosphere for children receiving support and counseling, where they can develop coping skills and engage in fun activities outside of school.

“At SIBSPlace, our peer support groups, camps and programs are designed to provide children with a safe place where their feelings are validated and normalized,” Executive Director Joanna Formont stated. “Here, they connect with other children going through similar life experiences and make meaningful relationships that last a lifetime. Our activities are geared toward assisting children as they develop necessary coping skills that they can apply throughout their lifetimes.”

SIBSPlace was established in 2000 by a collective of families from the Five Towns to foster resilience while enhancing emotional vocabulary, self-expression and self-awareness through a variety of activities facilitated by mental health staff. These activities provide children with opportunities to interact with peers facing similar circumstances, to express their feelings and to have them validated through verbal, artistic and musical means.

These programs are crucial for the children’s mental health and academic success, as oftentimes parents must shift focus to take care of sick family members, while the other children may feel alone. When coping with the death of a family member children face other challenges as they try to understand their grief and sadness. Children sometimes exhibit mental health or behavioral concerns without support.

SIBSPlace offers prevention-based counseling, educational programs and social activities that are truly transformative, and help to create a sense of community. To learn more about SIBSPlace, visit SIBSPlace.org.