A safe place to talk. A safe place to listen.
People grieving a death often feel like no one understands what they’re going through. And truthfully, no one’s grief is exactly same. But people tell us the help they appreciate most comes from sharing with others who are also grieving a death.
Our children’s support groups are designed around age, type of death, and the connection to the person who died. Parent/adult caregiver groups run at the same time as the children’s support groups. Around 500 children and 350 adult family members come to our groups each month. Each person decides how long he or she wants to be at Dougy Center.
In the groups, there is no right or wrong way to be. Nobody will tell you it’s time to move on. Or that an emotion you have is wrong or inappropriate. Here, through talking and listening, you’re free to find hope and comfort in your own personal way. Children can express themselves through play, music, art, games, and sharing.
Our unique approach, using peer group support to help people discover their own way through grief, has made Dougy Center a worldwide leader in the field. More than 500 programs based on our model now thrive in the U.S., Canada, Africa, Australia, Europe and Japan. Our guidebooks assist parents, schools and others who deal with children affected by death, and our children’s activity books provide them an outlet for expression.