Support for Those Who Are Grieving the Loss of a Loved One

Bereaved Parents of the USA

P.O. Box 95
Park Forest, IL 60466
Home page: www.bereavedparentsusa.org

Bereaved Parents of the USA is a nationwide organization designed to aid and support bereaved parents and families who are struggling to survive their grief after the death of a child. Any bereaved parent, sibling, or grandparent may become a member and attend monthly meetings of their chapter, or any other chapter, as often and as long as necessary to meet their needs. The meetings bring together newly bereaved parents and those who are farther along in their grief and have worked through many of their grief-related issues.

Children’s Hospice International

901 North Pitt Street, Suite 230
Alexandria, VA 22314
Telephone: (800) 24-CHILD (800-242-4435) or (703) 684-0330
Home page: www.chionline.org

Children’s Hospice International provides a network of support and care for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. The organization's goal is quality of life for the dying child and the ongoing, strengthened life of the family.

The Compassionate Friends

P.O. Box 3696
Oak Brook, IL 60522-3696
Telephone: (877) 969-0010 or (630) 990-0010
Fax: (630) 990-0246
Home page: www.compassionatefriends.org

The mission of Compassionate Friends is to help families move toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and to provide information to help others be supportive. It offers understanding and friendship to bereaved families through support meetings at local chapters and telephone support. It matches up people who have had similar losses; publishes newsletters for parents and for siblings; and has programs just for teenagers, grandparents, surviving twins, and others.

The Dougy Center

P.O. Box 86582
3909 S.E. 52nd Avenue
Portland, OR 97286
Telephone: (503) 775-5683
Fax: (503) 777-3097
Home page: www.dougy.org

The Dougy Center, part of the National Center for Grieving Children and Families, provides support groups for grieving children that are age-specific (3 to 5, 6 to 12, or teenage) and loss-specific (parent death, sibling death, survivors of homicide/violent death, survivors of suicide). The center is in the process of publishing a series of guidebooks based on what they’ve learned from children they have served. Titles include Helping Children Cope with Death and Helping Teens Cope with Death. Additional services include national trainings, consultations to schools and organizations, crisis-line information, and referrals.

GriefNet.org

Home page: www.griefnet.org

GriefNet.org is an Internet community of persons dealing with grief, death, and major loss. It sponsors 47 e-mail support groups as well as a companion site (www.kidsaid.com) just for kids who are experiencing grief. GriefNet is supervised by Cendra Lynn, Ph.D., a clinical grief psychologist, death educator, and traumatologist. A directory lists a large number of bereavement resources.

KidsCope

3399 Peachtree Road, Suite 2020
Atlanta, GA 30326
Home page: www.kidscope.org

KidsCope was started to help families and children better understand the effects of cancer and chemotherapy on a parent. The organization’s mission is the production and distribution of educational materials designed to accomplish this goal. These materials include a 16-page color comic book designed to help children with the psychological and physiological changes that occur when a parent has cancer and undergoes chemotherapy.

Kids Konnected

27071 Cabot Road, Suite 102a
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
Hotline: (800) 899-2866 (outside California) or (949) 582-5443 (in California)
Home page: www.kidskonnected.org

Kids Konnected provides friendship, understanding, education, and support to kids with a parent who has cancer. Kids Konnected offers support groups in three age groups, ranging from age 3 to 17. All groups are run by kids and led by child psychologists. A telephone hotline, monthly newsletters, camps, workshops, and social events are some of the many services offered.