This year our Kids’ Grief and Healing Program celebrates 25 years of service to our community.
We know that 1 in 12 children in Virginia will experience the death of a parent or sibling by age 18. If left unaddressed, childhood grief can lead to mental and behavioral health issues, as well as decreased academic performance.
By offering free grief counseling for children ages 4 to 18, we are helping young people process their loss, forge connections, and develop coping skills. The majority of the children our program supports come from community outreach to local schools and are not affiliated with our hospice care.
Our Kids’ Grief and Healing Program connects with bereaved children through group and individual counseling, family workshops, and our Journeys Grief Camps.
Our counselors specialize in the techniques of art therapy when working with grieving children. Art therapy is a safe way for children to explore the complex emotions that they may be experiencing, but don’t have the developmental skills to identify or express verbally.
At our Journeys Camps, campers spend time in nature, learn wilderness skills, engage in mindfulness, drumming circles, pet and art therapy, and most importantly, learn that they are not alone in their grief.
New this year, we were pleased to add a fourth Journeys Camp at the Old Trinity Church at Dairy Market.
Our Kids’ Grief and Healing Program is 100% supported by philanthropy. Thank you to our community for 25 years and counting of philanthropic support making this vital service possible!
