December 26, 2022

Coping Relief from Holiday Grief

December 26, 2022/ Ronnie Sharpe

The holidays can be a bittersweet time for children who have experienced the passing of a loved one. Particularly in the first year, developing new holiday rituals and traditions have varying challenges. It is important to get the support your family needs. Here is a list of local groups and books to help get you started.

National Alliance for Children's Grief

If you are supporting a child who is grieving, we are here to connect you to resources and local support. The alliance is a national organization of professionals dedicated to supporting children and the networks and communities surrounding them.

Bay Area Organizations

Josie's Place

Josie’s Place provides facilitated peer-support groups to children, teens, and parents in the San Francisco Bay Area who are grieving the death of a parent, sibling, close relative or friend. Our groups offer a safe environment for the expression of feelings and thoughts about the death of a loved one. Trained facilitators assist participants in the healing process.
3288 21st Street #139
San Francisco, CA 94110

Kara

Kara’s mission is to provide grief support for children, teens, families and adults. Our guiding values are empathy and compassion. Every day we provide caring support to children and adults affected by loss and grief. Our vision is to see people of all ages compassionately supported on their journey through grief so they can move toward renewed hope and meaning. We serve individuals who are grieving a death as well as those managing a terminal illness (their own or another's).
457 Kingsley Ave.
Palo Alto, CA 94301

By the Bay Health

This exciting program featured icebreakers, age-based support groups led by trained grief specialists and camp fun such as games, crafts, a ropes course, archery and swimming. Campers were paired with their own Big Buddy mentor who encouraged their self-expression and interaction with their peers, helping to build trust and ease the isolation children and teens often feel after a death.
CYO Retreat Center
2136 Bohemian Hwy
Occidental, CA 95465

East Bay Agency for Children's Circle of Care

East Bay Agency for Children's Circle of Care is a unique program that supports children and their families coping with the death of a significant family member. This program helps children and their families process their loss, provide a safe place that helps to normalize grief and learn to cope with their experience through specialized services.

Experience Camps

Experience Camps is a nonprofit that transforms the lives of grieving children through summer camp programs and innovative, year-round initiatives. Through compassion, connection, and play, we allow grieving children to embody a life full of hope and possibility. By amplifying their voices, we are creating a more grief-sensitive culture.
Green Oak Ranch
1237 Green Oak Road
Vista, CA 92081

Camp Erin 2022 is a bereavement camp for youth who are grieving the death of a significant person in their lives. At a beautiful, local site, campers ages 7-17 will gather together for activities like hiking, art, music, and animal visits.

Book Recommendations from Holiday House, Peachtree and Pixel+Ink

The Goodbye Book

By Parr, Todd

The Polar Bear in the Garden

By Jones, Richard

Big Rig

By Hawes, Louise

A Shelter for Sadness

By Booth, Anne

The Memory Box: A Book About Grief

By Rowland, Joanna

Fire on Headless Mountain

By Lawrence, Iain

The Last Dance

By Deedy, Carmen Agra

When Grandfather Flew

By Maclachlan, Patricia