Depending on a child's level of understanding in relation to death and dying, the death of a loved one can ignite a confusing and sensitive grieving process that adults may find hard to understand. Grief support programs for children exist to allow children to work through their feelings with a support group of peers. Grief support programs are located across the country, and offer support to children from group meetings to summer camps, allowing children to work through the grief in a healthy way.
Rainbows International
Rainbows International was established in 1983, and is currently available in 49 states and several countries. Breaking children into age groups, Rainbows works with children through art, musical and support group therapy to allow a child to express his grief and work through his feelings. Offering resources for children, preteens, teens and parents, Rainbows International helps children through different crises, including death, divorce and deployment.
The Healing Place
The Healing Place was started in 2001 by a board of directors intent on helping children learn ways to work through the grief process. Offering help and resources for children, teens and parents grieving for lost loved ones, The Healing Place focuses on information and the natural process of grief and eventual healing. The Healing Place also offers counseling for families with seriously ill family members, information on attending funerals, and suicide support materials via telephone.
New Song Center for Grieving Children
Founded in 1989 and staffed by volunteers, the New Song Center for Grieving Children offers resources for families in Arizona. A non-profit organization, the New Song Center for Grieving Children separates children into age groups with their peers, and offers play therapy and support groups to help your child grieve and express herself through the grieving process. The Center's aim is to provide the tools for a child to become a well-adjusted adult, even after an upsetting loss.
The Children's Bereavement Center
The Children's Bereavement Center in Florida offers a community-based bereavement program for children that focuses on surrounding a child with support throughout the grieving process. The center believes in promoting grief as a normal, natural and healthy process that is necessary for working through a loss. Support groups and material are free of charge, but there is sometimes a waiting list to register a child in the program.
New Hope Camp
A different take on grief support, the New Hope Camp offers children a chance to spend more time with their peers who are dealing with loss. Unlike most support group-based programs, the New Hope camp is a branch of New Hope, a grief support system. The camp was established in 2003 and runs each year for four days .Activities include group sessions, arts and crafts, sports and programs to help children see their grief as normal, and to spend time with others who are in similar situations.
