The Right Place When Nothing Feels Right
At Dougy Center, you will find support, resources, and connection before and after a death.
Grief Resources & Toolkits
Whether you’re grieving, or you’re helping someone who is grieving, Dougy Center is here for you. Find tip sheets, activities, podcasts, and more through our personalized toolkits.
Find Grief Support Near You
Locate peer grief support groups in Portland and around the world.
What We Do
At Dougy Center, we create safe spaces and free resources for children and families who are grieving. Our pioneering peer grief support model, professional training, and world-renowned programs and advocacy bring hope and healing around the world.
The Impact of Dougy Center
Read stories about the positive impact of Dougy Center on children and families who are grieving
When Families Feel Understood: Meet Derek and Taylor
Derek and Taylor started going to Dougy Center after Tamara, Derek's wife and Taylor's mom died when Taylor was just 14. Derek and Taylor suddenly found themselves navigating grief without anyone who truly understood the magnitude of what they were experiencing. “We each felt so alone through the illness, struggling to cope, and without any peer group of families going through the same thing,” Derek recalled. A social worker at Providence St. Vincent ICU suggested Dougy Center. “After we got to Dougy Center, we were not alone in navigating our grief,” Derek said. “We had somewhere to share our deepest thoughts with people who ‘got it.’” For Taylor, the impact was immediate. “Going to Dougy Center normalized her tragic experience,” Derek shared, “She was not alone in what she had experienced, was feeling, and how she was trying to cope.” Her favorite part was the conversations — “talking, comparing notes with other teens, feeling heard and not quite so alone.”
Read the Full StoryGrief Out Loud Podcast
Grief Out Loud® is our internationally acclaimed podcast where we talk openly about death, dying, and grief
Latest Episode
February 13th, 2026
Restrung: Music, Grief, And Fatherhood With Matt Fogelson
When Matt Fogelson's father died of lung cancer during his senior year of college, he turned to music to express what words couldn't - rage, self-loathing, and grief so profound he didn't know where to put it. In this conversation, Matt - author of the new memoir Restrung - talks about the silence that surrounded his father's terminal illness, the vacuum left by an absent but beloved parent, and how grunge music (especially Soundgarden and Pearl Jam) created space for him to feel what was hard to put into words. Matt shares how his Aunt Wendy became his unlikely guide, why he wore his father's suits to work for years trying to feel close to him, and the breakthrough moment when Pearl Jam's "Release" helped him shift his relationship with his father's memory and his grief. We also discuss how grief shaped his approach to parenting, why he sang a Grateful Dead song to his son every night for 14 years, and the three songs he wishes he could share with his father now. read more...
Go to EpisodeNews & Events
May 8th, 2026
29th Annual Porsche Boxster Raffle
Buy a ticket. Help a child. Win a Porsche! Support families who are grieving by participating in the 29th Annual Dougy Center Porsche Boxster Raffle. Tickets are just $100 each and only 2,500 tickets will be sold. The winning ticket will be drawn on May 8, 2026 at the Dougy Center's Reflection Benefit & Auction.
Read MoreEvent
July 20th, 2026
Join Dougy Center for the 2026 International Summer Institute
Join Dougy Center’s knowledgeable staff for an opportunity to discover the fundamentals of developing and operating peer support groups for children, teens, and families who are grieving. Learn with colleagues from around the United States and beyond who plan to start or who have already directly established programs for children and families who are grieving.
Event
March 19th, 2026
Dougy Center Webinar: More Storied than Storybook - Grief and Complex Relationships
Navigating grief after the death of someone in our lives can be inherently complex, because relationships are complex. Just like grief, there can be complicating factors that make a loss even more challenging. Join us to will discuss the challenges people face when grieving the death of someone with whom they had a complex and complicated relationship.
About Dougy Center
Dougy Center was founded in 1982 to support children and families who are grieving before and after a death. Today, The Dougy Center Model is world-renowned and has helped thousands of people find hope and healing.