The mission of The Center for Grieving Children, Teens, and Families is to provide quality bereavement services and a safe place where children and families can find the support necessary for healing. The Center also provides educational and training programs to professionals and others who work with grieving children and teens.

Description:
Our program is a peer support group model to help children, teens and their parents (guardians) cope and grow through their grief experience. Research and experience shows that our philosophy of peer support, adult mentors, and creative modalities of play and expression work best for grieving children. We have offered this program at our north Philadelphia site, and a satellite site in west Philadelphia to better serve this area of need.

The Center runs separate sessions for ages 6-8 years old, one for 9-12 years old, and a teen group. A support group for adult caregivers is held while the children are in their group. This benefits the overall family in their dynamics of working through their grief.

History:
The Center has its roots in the Bereavement Program at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. Grief support groups were first offered to non-hospital families in response from community leaders in 1995. In order to raise funds and to better serve the greater Philadelphia region, The Center became a separate non-profit agency in 2000. It is the only agency in the city dedicated solely to issues of children’s grief and loss.

In addition to our after-school support groups for children and teens we provide educational programs, phone counseling and referral, and training for professionals.

Contact people:

Judy Daniels, Operations Manager, (phone), (email) Rob Sheesley, Executive Director, (phone), (email)

Office fax number: (215) 744-4027

Address:

1339 East Luzerne Street, Suite A Philadelphia, PA 19124 (See a map)

Web Site: http://www.grievingchildren.org

Directions:

This is at the corner of K and Luzerne Streets in the Juniata section of Philadelphia. It is near the Erie/Torresdale el stop and one long block north of Erie Avenue For maps or information, please see http://www.septa.com/

Miscellaneous Information

Are court referrals welcomed?
	No