About us

About Us

Rainbows Ireland established since 1983, Rainbows was formally established in Chicago, USA by Suzy Yehl Marta following a personal divorce.

Rainbows is a free, voluntary service for children and young people experiencing loss following bereavement and parental separation.  The Rainbows service is an inclusive service, supporting children and young people experiencing grief and loss resulting from bereavement/parental separation/parental relationship breakdown /divorce.  Attending the programme provides children with an opportunity to meet with other children of a similar age and loss experience, at a minimum of 3 months after the loss.

About Us

This clinic was founded by Dr. Mary Zimmerman MD on January 5th, 1992.

Since those times we were vocal in expanding both the number of pediatric and related services we offer, just as well as the size of our team of skilled and caring pediatricians. This far, we’ve reached a size x5 times bigger than how big we were when our clinic was just starting out. In 2006, Ms. Angela Harrods joined the practice as a pediatric nurse practitioner. 5 years ago our clinic joined forces with yet another fellow children’s healthcare facility, located in Stanson

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We help those affected by loss because of bereavement, separation or divorce. Our service is available in local communities throughout Ireland.

 

Rainbows Ireland

The Vision of Rainbows
Our vision is that the grief experienced by children and young people in Ireland, following a significant loss in their lives from bereavement or loss through parental separation and divorce, is recognised and that they are offered the understanding and support necessary to foster emotional well-being.
The Mission of Rainbows
Rainbows Ireland works to enable children and young people who have experienced a significant loss to access peer support.  This support happens within their local communities as they seek to come to terms with their grief and loss.
The Aim of Rainbows
We aim to fulfil our mission by establishing, maintaining and supporting a national network of accredited Programme Centres, where trained facilitators are recruited by each Programme Centre Management Body to guide participants through the various Rainbows peer support group based programmes.

Equality Statement

The service respects and values the diversity of all children and families. The Rainbows service is committed to maintaining a service that does not discriminate, directly or indirectly on the grounds of gender, gender identity, marital status, family status, sexual orientation, religious belief, political opinion, disability, age, race or ethnic origin. The service recognises that all children and young people, regardless of their circumstances, have a right to have their grief and loss recognised and to be given opportunities to express their feelings and emotions. The support level provided by Rainbows Ireland recognises that the service may often not be the appropriate one for all children and that some children will have needs that are beyond the capacity and resources of the service.