Family Grief Support Group
Who can attend the Family Grief Support Group?
- Children and teens ages 4 through 18 who have experienced the death of someone significant in their lives.
- A separate group for adult caregivers is held at the same time.
How long is the Family Grief Support Group?
- 10 consecutive weeks from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. CST
Is the Family Grief Support Group an "open" group or a "closed" group?
- A "closed" group. New families are welcome to join for the first two weeks of a series, then the group is closed.
- This allows those attending to establish trust and comfort among a familiar group as they do the difficult work of mourning.
What do the kids do during the Family Grief Support Group?
- The group curriculum, based upon the work of nationally known death educator-counselor, Dr. Alan Wolfelt, includes discussion themes and activities to help youth express themselves through art, games and dramatic play.
What do the adult caregivers do during the Family Grief Support Group?
- Caregivers learn how to support their grieving children, as well as receive grief support themselves.
How is the Family Grief Support Group structured?
- Families arrive together and spend time with other participating families at the start of each week.
- Children and teens then go upstairs to their age-appropriate rooms for group activities, discussion and free time.
- Adult caregivers go downstairs to their group rooms for education and discussion.
- At the end of the night, all families come back together in the gathering space to close group for the week.
How many people are in each Family Grief Support Group?
- Participants divide by age, so the size of each age group can range from four to 12 youth.
Who runs the Family Grief Support Group?
- A minimum of two trained volunteers facilitate each age group.
- There is always at least one staff member present each session.
When is the right time to attend the Family Grief Support Group?
- There is no timeline for grief, and the choice is different for each family.
- Some families choose to attend within the first few months after a death.
- Others wait a year or more before attending.
- As children grow and develop, they often re-grieve losses as their developmental abilities progress. Many families attend the Family Grief Support Group more than once.
Who can I contact if I have additional questions?
- Amy Lipins, Grief Education Director, alipins@mourninghope.org.
