Peer Support Groups
Thanks for your interest in learning more about peer support groups at The Children’s Room. Through our groups, we seek to offer children, teens, and their families an opportunity to find connection and community after the death of an immediate family member. Read on for answers to frequently asked questions about our groups.
We are here and available to answer your initial questions about the program. Please CONTACT US HERE.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can help to normalize the grieving process
- Provides a safe space for children, teens, and adults with others who understand and “get it”
- Gives participants an opportunity to share and express feelings in a safe and supportive environment
Families come to The Children’s Room after the death of an immediate family member, typically a parent or a sibling. Children and teenagers (ages 3½ – 18), parent(s) or guardian(s) are welcome. Peer support groups for kids, teens, and adults are held in person at our center in Arlington. Peer-support groups for adults are also held over Zoom.
Groups meet during the school year on weeknight evenings (Monday and Thursday) and Sunday afternoons. Groups meet every other week. Peer support groups for kids, teens and adults are held in person at our center in Arlington. Peer-support groups for adults are also held over Zoom.
*Please note: Families must first come to an orientation and complete a family application before attending a group. More information on this process is below.
Our groups are not drop-in groups. We will work with your family to match you with an ongoing group that works for you. Please see information below on our application and placement process.
Please CONTACT US HERE. We’ll happily answer your initial questions about the program, gather some basic information about your family, and schedule you for an orientation. The orientation will allow you to meet our staff and hear about our programs to understand whether The Children’s Room is right for your family. After attending an orientation, you’ll receive a family application that will need to be completed to join our groups. Our program staff will review your family’s application, schedule preferences, and any additional information shared. Families are then assigned to a group that fits their needs and schedule best. We do our best to place you in a group that fits your family’s schedule.
Peer-support groups begin in early October and run through mid-June. In order to maintain safety and group cohesion among participants, new families typically enter groups at two distinct times during the year: once in October, and again in February.
Once a family is placed in a group they are welcome to stay as long as they feel they need to be here. Typically families stay anywhere from 1 – 3 years.
Our groups are provided free of charge, and TCR is committed to providing services that are not a financial burden to familes.
Families are invited to come together to our center in Arlington, on the same day and at the same time but meet in separate groups. Each group will meet independently in a separate room at our center:
– Children and teens will split off into grade-specific groups
– Adults who have a had a spouse/partner, or a former spouse/partner die will meet together
– Adults who have a had a child die will meet together
Children and teens typically start with an “opening circle” in which they introduce themselves in different ways. Each group then has a planned age appropriate activity related to some aspect of the grief experience. Facilitators utilize creative methods including art, music, play, and poetry to encourage group connections, self expression, memory sharing, feelings exploration, and self-care. Participation in verbal sharing is often part of our groups, however it is always optional and we never pressure children and teens to speak. Listening is a way to participate too!
While your children participate in their group, we offer a simultaneous peer support group for adults. Facilitated by trained volunteers and student interns, we hope to provide a safe space in which parents/caregivers can find peer support around their grief experience, navigate pieces related to parenting grieving children and just be with others who have had a similar experience. The adult group can also be a space to share things that have been challenging, as well as things that have been going well in parenting and through your grief experience. Facilitators work together with the adult participants to create an environment that is welcoming to the range of perspectives, feelings, needs, and experiences members may bring. Virtual adult groups are staff led, and have the same structure, content and supportive nature.
At the end of each group there is a “closing circle” where participants end their group together in different ways. There is also space at their end of each group to recognize any important dates that are coming up. This might be birthdays of kids, teens, and adults in groups at The Children’s Room, as well as special dates related to the person who died (anniversaries of when your person died, or the anniversary of their birthday).
All groups are activities based and offer developmentally appropriate content and activities. Topics and activities will depend on the time of year and the needs of the children/teens in each particular group. Below are some general themes that we cover in groups:
- Connect and get to know one another
- Share stories and memories
- Explore feelings and emotions associated with our losses
- Recognize strengths and coping skills
- Honor and commemorate the person who died
All center-based groups are based on a peer support model and are facilitated by trained volunteers and student interns who are supervised by a professional program staff member. All facilitators must complete a 35-hour training on theoretical models of grieving, child development, reflective practice, and group facilitation. All facilitators have an entrance interview with a member of our program staff prior to being placed in a group and have a CORI conducted. Many of our facilitators work within the mental health, social service or educational field and have been drawn to this work because of their own experiences of loss as a child. Virtual adult groups are led by a program staff member.
Deciding on whether you or your children would benefit from a peer support group is a personal decision that every family must make for themselves. If you are unsure whether or not a group will be right for you, here are a few helpful things to consider:
- It is often helpful to discuss the possibility of starting a group with your family, especially children and teens, to hear what they have to say. Ultimately, you know your child the best and your children, although young, are wise to what they need at this time.
- Families may find it challenging to begin a group immediately following their loss. If you are unsure at this time and your loss was very recent you may consider taking a few weeks or months to think about the decision.
- Coming to an orientation, where you can learn more about the program, ask questions, and get a feel for what a group might be like can be helpful in making decisions about starting a group.
