One in five children will experience the death of a significant person in their life before they turn 18. Without support, children who are grieving are at higher-than-normal risk for problems in school, substance abuse, depression, and anxiety. But if their grief is addressed early, the risk of engagement in maladaptive lifestyle choices can be decreased.
“When you lose someone you love, your whole world is flipped upside down.” – Lilly, age 17
The Elizabeth Hospice cares deeply about our community’s children who are grieving the death of a loved one. Our Children’s Bereavement Program is the only one of its kind in San Diego County and Southwest Riverside County. We offer a wide range of free services for children, teens and their caregivers and everyone in the community is welcome to participate, even families who do not use our hospice services.
The Children’s Bereavement Program is a peer-support model that enables children to honor and memorialize their loved one, find comfort and support after a tragedy, build a toolbox of healthy coping skills and have fun while working through their grief.
Four teens share their experiences as participants in our Children’s Bereavement Program.