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Bunnies for Bravehearts
The annual Bunnies for Bravehearts project helps to support Bravehearts’ specialist child sexual abuse counselling service. You donate to the project and a child in counselling is gifted a plush comfort bunny to help with their healing journey.
Bravehearts provides specialist trauma counselling to hundreds of children and families affected by child sexual abuse every year. Now in its third year, the project has raised almost $84,000 since 2023 and helped to support 1,369 children and families affected by child sexual abuse.
How Bunnies for Bravehearts works
- You donate $50 (or more) to the project and in return, Bravehearts gifts a plush bunny to a child in trauma counselling.
- You receive a thank you card in recognition of your kind donation.
- Your donation is fully tax-deductible.
“Thank you for the comfort bunny! It caught all (my daughter’s) bad dreams. It’s a very useful buddy. It gives her cuddles, goes with her everywhere and gives her comfort in bed. What a wonderful friend you gave (to my daughter). Thank you.”
~ Parent of a child engaged in counselling with Bravehearts, August 2024
“I have been working with an 8 year-old girl who has named her bunny ‘Bonnie’. We have incorporated the bunny into her self-regulation strategies during our sessions and (she reports that) she also sleeps with Bonnie. She says that if she has a nightmare she whispers to Bonnie, “That was a bad dream, I am safe,” and strokes the bunny until she falls back to sleep. She reports that she has been having far less nightmares since she was given Bonnie.”
~ Bravehearts Clinician, March 2024
“I have had a young client continually bring her bunny to her counselling sessions. A lot of my clients’ parents tell me their child sleeps with their bunny.”
~ Bravehearts Clinician, September 2023
The benefits of using soft toys in a therapeutic setting
Giving a child a soft toy to care for has several benefits in a therapeutic setting, including helping to dispel fears and worries and enabling the expression of thoughts and feelings through play (1,2).
The use of soft toys, such as teddy bears is also reported to be an effective communication and educational tool for children in therapy, helping to increase their understanding of child sexual abuse and its prevention via role-play and demonstration (2). The tactile and soothing nature of soft toys can help the children feel safe, identify good and bad touch, and explore different conflicts and problems without limitations (3).
Thank you to our sponsor, Austworld
This year the Bunnies for Bravehearts project is proudly supported by Austworld, whose sponsorship means donations go to what matters most – supporting children recovering from trauma.
“At Austworld, we are proud to support Bunnies for Bravehearts, an initiative that aligns with our commitment to making a positive impact in our community,” said Austworld representative, Caroline Mae S. Gorospe.
“We chose to support Bunnies for Bravehearts because we believe in the power of kindness and the importance of providing a sense of security and emotional support to children in need. By donating bunny plushies, we hope to offer a tangible source of comfort and courage to these brave young ones as they navigate their therapeutic journey,” she said.
“We extend our heartfelt thanks to the therapists and clinicians at Bravehearts for their incredible work and to everyone who supports this meaningful cause. Together, we are making a world of difference, one bunny at a time,” said Ms Gorospe.
References
- Maksimov, D. (2022). The transformation of mental trauma in children using the Hibuki-therapy method. Psychological Journal, 8 (59).
- Rashid, A. et.al., (2021). Healthcare Professionals’ views for the content of the Teddy Bear Hospital for a Child Sexual Abuse Prevention Module. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 30 (4).
- Malchiodi, C. (2019) Trauma informed art therapy and sexual abuse in children. In Goodyear-Brown, P. Handbook of Child Sexual Abuse (pp.341-354).