Believing that no child should have to walk
the painful journey of grief alone
BY AMY MORGAN
F R E E L A N C E W R I T E R
Tragedy strikes when least expected.
A car accident, a sudden illness,
suicide — even a natural disaster or
active shooter. Lives are changed
forever for families who have lost a
loved one. How do they pick up the
pieces and go on?
The Children’s Bereavement Center
is a nonprofit organization founded in
1997 by Martha Atkins, Ph.D., to help
children ages three to 24 and their
caregivers “understand the depth of
their grief, stabilize and preserve
family relationships and develop
healthy coping skills after the death of
a loved one.”
Here, you’ll find a safety net for
children recovering from loss.
Dr. Atkins’ own personal journey
with loss led her to develop this
program. She began serving families
with the support of Colonial Hills
United Methodist Church while pursuing
post graduate schooling. The
Center eventually became today’s
thriving organization. In just the first
six months of 2019, the Center saw
1,766 children and their caregivers,
according to Franchesca Velten, the
Center’s Marketing and Development
Manager.
Services are available seven days a
week. Eight licensed professional
counselors, with specialty training in
grief and trauma, oversee dozens of
interns and volunteers to provide
services. Programs include individual
grief counseling, peer support groups,
school-based groups and grief camps.
Peer support groups match those with
similar loss experiences to help
children know that others struggle
with similar feelings. These no-cost
programs meet twice a month and
begin with a community meal,
prepared and served by volunteer
"Potluck Partners."
The Center, located in Olmos Park,
provides a safe, nurturing environment
conducive to healing in a beautiful
home-like setting. The facility has
space for a variety of fine art therapy
modalities like dance, drama, and
music, as well as visual arts to help
participants physically process their
loss. Notable is the glass art suite,
where children melt shattered glass
together into a new object to tangibly
A young woman expresses her feelings through music
to reduce anxiety and physical effects.
illustrate the concept of making
something beautiful out of brokenness.
Twice a year, the Children’s Bereavement
Center hosts Camp Heroes for
school age children. They focus on the
weeks of Thanksgiving and spring
“ As a mom, I see such value in their mission.
I know how important it is to provide a safe space
for kids, especially while trying to heal and grieve.
I ‘m grateful that the Children’s Bereavement
Center can provide that. They make each child’s
journey just a little bit easier to
walk because they walk with
them, in understanding and
compassion.”
Elisia Carr, Marketing Coordinator, DOCUmation
9 www.saBeacon.com October / November 2019
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