Getting Started
The Grieving Child (a resource from Brooke’s Place)
About Childhood Grief (National Alliance for Children’s Grief)
10 Things Grieving Children Want You To Know (a resource from NAGC via Brooke’s Place)
Enduring the Holidays with Grief (a resource from Brooke’s Place)
Holiday Grief Self Care Plan Worksheet (a resource from Brooke’s Place)
NAGC
The National Alliance for Grieving Children lists grief support services and/or counseling support service providers who serve children, teens and their families. Find someone in your state here.
The NAGC also provides a myriad of other free resources in the form of worksheets, articles, and guides covering topics such as:
Talking to Children about Death and Dying
Talking About Grieving As A Family
NAGC Hero Toolkit (In Support of Super Heroic Grieving Children & Teens)
Talking about End of Life Memorials & Rituals
New York Life is the leading corporate funder of childhood bereavement support. They provide varied resources for families, schools, and communities to help children through the grieving process from all kinds of loss. They also support the Eluna Network, which provides a national bereavement resource guide. (*Please note the Eluna guide does not list a great many resources available in and around Indianapolis. Here at Amos’ Anchors, we are working to be listed on their site.*)
Children’s Books
*Just so you know, while there are links to purchase the books provided for you here, we receive no proceeds from your purchase through these links.*
Our Heaven Baby : A book about miscarriage and the hope of Heaven.
We Were Gonna Have a Baby, But We Had an Angel Instead : A book about miscarriage from the perspective of the big brother in the family.
Something Very Sad Happened: A Toddler’s Guide to Understanding Death : “Intended to be read to two- and three-year-old children to help them understand death and process the loss of a loved one. Written at a developmental level that is appropriate for two- and three-year-olds, the story explains death; lets children know that it is okay to feel sad; and reassures children that they can still love the person who died, and the person who died will always love them.
The Invisible String : Excellent for younger children who you may need to be separated from during a hospital stay. “A bestselling picture book about the unbreakable connections between loved ones. The Invisible String offers a very simple approach to overcoming loneliness, separation, or loss with an imaginative twist that children easily understand and embrace, and delivers a particularly compelling message in today’s uncertain times.”
Something Happened: A Book for Children and Parents Who Have Experienced Pregnancy Loss : “This beautifully illustrated, simple, clear story is designed to help a young child understand what has happened when there has been a pregnancy loss. The book addresses the sadness that a child experiences when the anticipated baby has died. The child’s fears and feelings of guilt are addressed as well as other confusing feelings. Perhaps most important, the book includes the family’s experience of going on with life while always remembering their baby. The child reading the book is left with a sense of reassurance that life continues and he is still a vital part of a loving family. “
Local Indianapolis Support Groups & Camps
Hope in Healing Riley Children’s Hospital
Hope in Healing Pediatric Bereavement Program provides compassionate and comprehensive grief support to families who have experienced the death of a child. Services provided include: mailings, educational materials, phone support, individual and family grief support, and support groups. Ages 4 to adult.
Be sure to access Riley’s Grief Support Guide where you can find a myriad of resources including the Sibling Loss Fact Sheet from The National Child Traumatic Stress Network.
Riley Hospital for Children at Indiana University Health
1828 N. Illinois Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
Contact Riley Bereavement Services for more individualized information based on your needs:
(317) 963-0829 rileybereavement@iuhealth.org
http://www.iuhealth.org/hopeinhealing
Brooke’s Place for Grieving Young People
Provides support groups, therapy services, and community/parent education to empower children, teens, young adults, and their families in the midst of grief.
Brooke’s Place has a great list of resources here for grieving children.
Support groups for ages 3-20+ who have experienced the death of a parent, sibling, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or loved one. Meets twice per month on Thursday evenings. Adult groups at the same time. Contact (317)705-9650 or visit www.brookesplace.org for more information.
Camp Healing Tree is a weekend camp for grieving children and teens ages 7 to 17, sponsored by Brooke’s Place of Indianapolis.
Happens each August. Be sure to register early and check out this page for up to date information.
For more information, call 317-705-9650 .
A free week-end grief camp for children and teens, ages 6-17 that have experienced the death of someone close to them in the past year.
September 13 – 15, 2019
Register for the waitlist here.
Phone: 317-621-4227
E-mail: CampErin@eCommunity.com
Erin’s House
Erin’s House is a 501(c)(3) organization that offers peer support program nights, classroom companions, camps and retreats, a summer program, a digital list of resources, phone support, and other grief support events for children who have suffered the death of a loved one. They are located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and you can donate to their organization here.
Phone Support: 260-423-2466
Phone support is for:
- Parents and guardians
- Family members
- Helping professionals: doctors, nurses, hospice providers, teachers, clergy
Telephone support may help with:
- Questions about children and grief
- Information about Erin’s House and our programming
- Discussions about concerns and issues
- Guidance on having a conversation with your child about death
- Resources available to help: books, websites, etc.
- Referrals to other resources in our community
The program staff at Erin’s House are available to talk with you during regular business hours, Monday through Friday from 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Should you call after hours or on the weekend, your call will be returned within 1 to 2 business days.
Programming also available in Spanish.
Location:
5670 YMCA Park Dr. West
Fort Wayne, IN 46835
Email: Info@ErinsHouse.org
Office Hours:
Monday – Friday 9:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.
Amos' Anchors 