We are excited to share that Liz Cohen is the new Executive Director for The Children’s Room. Liz brings with her a more than 20-year career dedicated to communities without a voice and those dealing with trauma and loss, and a successful track record as a nonprofit executive director. She has extensive fundraising experience and is known for her ability to collaborate, bring people with diverse perspectives together, and create sustainable impact. Most recently, Liz served as a Senior Development Officer for Jewish Family & Children’s Services (JF&CS). Prior to joining JF&CS, Liz was the Executive Director for Families First Parenting Programs where she oversaw the mission, vision, and strategic growth of the organization. When she joined in 2012 Liz was tasked with rebuilding the organization and re-engaging the 18-member Board. In addition to providing strategic leadership, Liz has extensive experience overseeing long term and day-to-day operations. Serving in many leadership roles has given Liz the opportunity to sharpen her skill set and to serve as a mentor to others. She is known for her professionalism and her steadfast commitment to children, teens, and families. She is also recognized for her strengths in public speaking and community education. Liz completed a Master’s of Public Health at Boston University School of Public Health and did her undergraduate work in clinical psychology and child development at Tufts University. Liz currently resides in Arlington. Liz shared, “It is with joy and excitement that I accept this new role! I am thrilled to be working with the staff and Board in this next phase of The Children's Room." We are particularly excited about Liz’s passion for service, and her dedication to and enthusiasm for working with families in need. Liz’s [...]

“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.” —Desmond Tutu It is often acknowledged that the holiday season can add many logistical and emotional burdens for those who are grieving. Less often acknowledged are the shifts in weather and light that happen as winter arrives and progresses. Here in New England, the days become not only colder, but also shorter and much darker, and these changes may have an effect on our mood, our behavior, and how we care for ourselves and our families as we grieve. Acknowledge the darkness. Though winter can place many extra demands on us, it is important to remember that winter, too, has its place in the course of seasons, and darkness has its place in relationship to light. Similarly, when feeling overwhelmed, pausing to acknowledge that your grief may feel difficult to manage at this time of year can be an important first step toward clarifying how you might cope with the season. Taking time to understand that the season’s changes may be affecting you, and naming the ways that it might be doing so, can help you start to identify the best ways of supporting yourself and your family. Make time for self-care. Making time for your own needs and self-care is especially important in winter. It may seem too difficult or unrealistic to put your own needs first, but neglecting to make self-care a regular part of your daily routine can compound stress and negativity. Like grief, self-care is unique to each individual, but a few examples may include: adjusting your diet and exercise routines to take the best possible care of your physical body taking proper rest, when needed, [...]

The Straub Family: Crissy, Solia, Sawyer, Saydee, and Ted Finding Connection To say that Crissy Straub loves to run is a vast understatement. Running is her passion. Ten years ago, while on an average day’s run with her husband, Ted, our “Lion Heart Yellow” colored Victorian house caught her eye. “Looking up at the house we saw a sign that said The Children’s Room,” she says. “Figuring it was a place for kids to play, I told Ted I was going to check it out the following week to see if they needed any volunteers. Little did we know that The Children’s Room was much, much more than a place to play.” Crissy followed up by coming for a visit and a tour, and, like so many who enter our doors, she felt a connection. In her words, “I was immediately drawn to the warmth, comfort, and peace I felt when I walked in.” She knew right away that she and Ted wanted to help. Sharing Our Vision After learning about our mission, vision, and impact, Crissy and Ted came to understand what a vital community resource The Children’s Room is as a safe place to grieve with others who share similar experiences. They also saw the uniqueness of the programs offered to both families and to our larger community. In 2010, they made their first long-term financial commitment to The Children’s Room, committing to becoming Circle Donors, through a five-year pledge because, as Ted shared, they believed deeply that “a place like The Children’s Room should always be around and exist as a resource for all people who need it.” Putting Their Feet on the Ground Crissy and Ted have maintained a [...]

Thursday, November 16th, was National Children’s Grief Awareness Day! We were proud to wear blue to show our support and to connect with the community to raise awareness of the unique needs of grieving children and teens. Leading up to the event, we asked our TCR community to share their thoughts on the importance of grief awareness and support. Their beautiful handwritten reflections were written on blue hearts. Once completed, every two hearts were joined together as a butterfly, symbolizing the integration of grief and awareness and the changes that occur as we support each other with care and understanding. Ultimately, all of the messages we received were gathered and assembled by our incredible interns into one big, beautiful display. Here in Arlington, TCR program staff and interns hosted activities at Ottoson Middle School and Arlington High School. We also hosted activities at Lexington High School, John Glenn Middle School in Bedford, Jordan Boys & Girls Club in Chelsea, and Blue Hills Boys & Girls Club in Dorchester. At the Yawkey Boys & Girls Club in Roxbury, TCR partnered with the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute to sponsor the activity. TCR staff and interns hosted CGAD outreach and awareness activities at 7 different schools and community centers throughout Greater Boston. As part of these activities, children and teens were invited to honor their grief by placing a blue dot on a large piece of artwork in order to represent a person in their life who died. They were also invited to share their memories and reflections on blue hearts or strips of ribbon. The response was overwhelming! On the evening of November 16th, as part of honoring Children’s Grief Awareness Day, TCR [...]

Pictured left to right: Jessie Mao, Lyndis Clarke, Molly Meszaros, Erin Sior, Miranda Hays, Rose Willow Hegfield, and Amanda Moffit As another program year begins, The Children’s Room welcomes a new group of graduate and undergraduate interns to their training program. This year, The Children’s Room will provide intensive professional training and supervision to seven interns for the entire school year. The interns come from several schools and represent different disciplines. Our Program Interns assist in facilitating multiple peer support groups, new family orientations, and Family nights, and our graduate interns also help facilitate our Parenting While Grieving series, Teen Program events, do intakes on families seeking TCR services, and provide information and referrals to callers in need of grief support. As an integral part of their clinical education and training, TCR interns also take part in a weekly seminar, providing an opportunity for didactic as well as experiential learning. TCR’s Program Staff will lead interns in covering topics such as child development and grief, bereavement theory, cultural diversity, religion and spirituality, and expressive arts. The Children’s Room has been an intern placement for over a decade, first under the leadership of Colleen Shannon. The Internship Program has experienced impressive growth and professional development over the past few years in particular. In 2013, Nancy Frumer Styron, JD, PsyD, joined our staff as Clinical Director. Her decades of clinical experience and her leadership have paved the way for the growth and enhancement of a program that finds a true balance between hands-on experience and academic study. As word has spread among students and faculty, The Children’s Room has become a well-respected and desirable intern site. Because of this, students interested in our Internship Program [...]

We are proud to introduce Shamika Naidu as our new Administrative Assistant. Working with Nicole Christensen, Shamika helps manage the day-to-day operations and administrative functions of our organization. Shamika has a hand in a wide variety of The Children’s Room’s internal and external operations each day. From information management and technology to billing, human resources, and facilities, she is a skilled administrator who helps to ensure that all aspects of The Children’s Room run smoothly. “It is wonderful having Shamika on our team,” said Nancy Frumer Styron, TCR Clinical Director and Interim Executive Director. “Not only does Shamika’s work have a direct impact on so many aspects of our services and our philanthropy, her warmth and positive energy are assets to us and to those we serve.” Shamika comes to The Children’s Room with a B.A. in Political Science from Syracuse University with a minor in Middle Eastern Studies. She also brings with her a deep love of and commitment to service. She has volunteered for organizations such as Save Darfur and Love 146. Most recently, with a group of peers, she recently incorporated a nonprofit called Starts With A Smile, which focuses on promoting dental/oral hygiene in disadvantaged communities, predominantly within Massachusetts. When Shamika pursued work after graduating from Syracuse, she knew that she wanted the ability to contribute to work that she believed was imperative. She found it at The Children’s Room. “The extraordinary focus of TCR is what drew me in. Working in this environment takes a level of attentiveness that I wanted to immerse myself in,” she said. “I value what TCR serves to achieve and I admire the authenticity and passion that resonates within all of the staff and board [...]

Donna Smith Sharff We would like to thank Donna Smith Sharff for her many years of dedicated service to The Children’s Room. From 2005 until 2010, Donna served as The Children’s Room’s Program Director. In this role, Donna managed, planned, and supervised our support group program and the support group program staff. At a time when The Children’s Room was still growing into its own as an independent nonprofit, her experience and skill as a licensed clinician were invaluable. As Program Director, Donna helped create and sustain a deeply ingrained culture of caring that continues to impact the children, teens, and families we serve, as well as our volunteers, staff, and board. In June 2010, Donna became The Children’s Room’s Executive Director. Her leadership helped The Children’s Room grow while never straying from its core values. In Donna’s seven years as Executive Director, The Children’s Room’s revenues have almost tripled, and we surpassed $1 million in annual revenue for the first time ever in 2016. Most importantly, this sustained growth under Donna’s leadership has allowed us to enhance and expand our programming. In recent years The Children’s Room launched our Family Night program, our Parenting While Grieving series, and our Teen Program, all of which have become key services; we have also been able to deepen our impact across Greater Boston through expanded community and school-based peer support groups, as well as grief education, training, and outreach offerings. Through these services, and thanks to Donna’s efforts as Executive Director, we at The Children’s Room will be able to impact the lives of many more children, teens, and families in the years to come. Donna helped attract and build an extraordinary board, which has [...]

Left to Right: TCR Staff Members Colleen Shannon, Kim Cayer, Deborah Rivlin, Christine Lambright, Laurie Moskowitz-Corrois, and Nancy Frumer Styron; TCR Board President Michael Nagle In June, six staff members from The Children’s Room and our Board President attended the 2017 National Alliance For Grieving Children Symposium in Richmond, Virginia. Held annually, this conference brings together professionals from across the United States and Canada who work in the field of grief support. At this year’s symposium, The Children’s Room presented or co-presented four workshops, allowing the staff to share and model best practices with our peers. TCR staff has been a regular contributor at this gathering, the largest of its kind in the country. Education Director Deborah Rivlin and Clinical Director Nancy Frumer Styron presented on Parenting While Grieving, TCR’s educational and support series for parents or caregivers who are raising children who had a parent die. During their lecture and discussion session at the symposium, Deborah and Nancy shared TCR’s unique eight-week model for helping parents and caregivers develop strategies and support for dealing with the challenges of parenting bereaved children while navigating their own grief. Left to Right: Alexandra Chery, Rachel Rodrigues, Colleen Shannon, and Shahi Smart, Sr. co-presented an interactive workshop called "Supporting Children and Families Impacted by Murder" Associate Program Director – Youth & Community Outreach, Colleen Shannon, co-presented an interactive workshop entitled “Supporting Children and Families Impacted by Murder.” This workshop was co-facilitated with our partners from the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute: Alexandra Chery, Rachel Rodrigues, and Shahi Smart, Sr. Together the four presenters provided participants with tools and resources for supporting children and families impacted by a homicide death. As the Louis D. Brown [...]