Weekend gatherings for bereaved family members after the terror killings in Norway in 2011

Abstract

This article describes a program to help bereaved families who all lost a close family member during the Utøya terror attacks in Norway where 69 people, mostly of young age, were shot and killed. The bereaved gathered over four weekends to process and learn about grief in a program organised by the Norwegian Directorate of Health (NDH). This proactive follow-up included bereaved parents and siblings who took part in group sessions, plenary lectures, workshops, and social activities over four weekends following the terror killings. The same structure was used in each gathering. The themes, both in groups and plenary, changed over time and reflected important events (eg. the trial, verdict, commission report) and the grief process over time. A tentative evaluation by the NDH indicated that the bereaved found this approach very helpful. The description provides a ‘blueprint’ that can be a starting point for organising future follow-up for bereaved people after disasters.

Keywords:

• bereaved families
• group support
• terror killings
• weekend gatherings

Acknowledgement

We thank the bereaved for their engagement during the family weekend gatherings, and the professional staff and the collaborating partners for their dedicated work that made the gatherings possible.

A longer version of this article first appeared in Scandinavian Psychologist, 1, e8 and is reproduced here with permission.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Atle Dyregrov

Atle Dyregrov PhD Center for Crisis Psychology, Bergen, Norway [email protected]

Marianne Straume

Kari Dyregrov BSc PhD Center for Crisis Psychology, Bergen, Norway [email protected]

Kari Dyregrov

Marianne Straume Center for Crisis Psychology, Bergen, Norway [email protected]

Renate Grønvold Bugge

Renate Grønvold Bugge Center for Crisis Psychology, Bergen, Norway [email protected]