We offer a selection of peer support programs with a therapeutic focus, each dedicated to the type of death loss experienced, such as a chronic illness or sudden death of a parent, death of a sibling, death of a grandparent or extended family member, homicide or suicide. Each program group meets twice per month in our beautiful homelike setting, which provides a safe, nurturing environment conducive to healing. These programs are supervised by a Program Director (Licensed Professional Counselor), administered by Program Coordinators and staffed by trained volunteers.
How to Enroll
Prior to enrolling in a grief support program, families must schedule an intake interview with one of our licensed professional counselors. Intake interview fees are determined by a sliding scale based on family income, number of household members and extenuating circumstances. Financial assistance is available for families who meet the criteria. The CBCST is committed to offering equal access to all families in need of our services, and will not turn anyone away for inability to pay. To schedule an intake interview please contact the Programs Department at (210) 736-4847.
Sons and Daughters I
This group is designed for children and teenagers aged 6-18 years who have lost a parent due to a chronic illness.
What every parent needs to know about Sons and Daughters I
This group is designed for children and teenagers aged 6-18 years who have lost a parent due to a chronic illness such as cancer. The death follows months or perhaps years of dealing with the disease process: treatments, hospitalizations, periods of recovery and suffering at home. Children and teens have watched the health of their loved one deteriorate gradually. They have grown familiar with the sounds and smells of hospitals and with medical equipment in their own homes: the sound of a respirator, for example. In some ways, the disease becomes a kind of demanding family member around which the life of the family has been organized. Now the disease has run its course, and their parent has died.
Sons and Daughters II
This group is designed for children and teenagers aged 6-18 years who have experienced the sudden death of a parent.
What every parent needs to know about Sons and Daughters II
This group is designed for children and teenagers aged 6-18 years who have experienced the sudden death of a parent. Such a death feels like a lightning strike in the middle of a clear blue day. One moment their parent is present and actively shaping their lives, and the next moment their parent has vanished into a realm called “death.” Life now feels as if it has a huge, mysterious hole in the center of it.
Sons and Daughters III
This group is designed for children and teenagers aged 6-18 years who have experienced the murder of a parent or other family member.
What every parent needs to know about Sons and Daughters III
This group is designed for children and teenagers aged 6-18 years who have experienced the murder of a parent or other family member. Such a death pierces as well as shocks. Someone intended to kill their parent, their loved one. Why?
Sons and Daughters IV
This group is designed for children and teenagers aged 6-18 years who have had a parent or sibling die by suicide.
What every parent needs to know about Sons and Daughters IV
This group is designed for children and teenagers aged 6-18 years who have had a parent die by suicide. Such a death cuts to the core and confuses. Their parent, someone who has provided some stability in their lives, has killed themselves, sometimes killing someone else first. Why?
Sibling
This group is designed for children and teenagers aged 6-18 years who have experienced the death of a brother or sister, either suddenly or as the result of a chronic disease. They might find themselves to now be the only child, or the youngest or the eldest. Their place within the birth order shifts.
Family
This group is designed for children and teenagers aged 6-18 years who have experienced the death of a grandparent.
What every parent needs to know about our Family Group
This group is designed for children and teenagers aged 6-18 years who have experienced the death of a grandparent. Often, parents are grieving more deeply than their children, and the children are concerned more with the sadness of their parent than the death of their grandparent. The complex ties of three generations run invisibly, yet with many colors through the family circles that gather at the CBC.
Little People
This “Little People” support group meets five consecutive weeks Wednesday afternoons from 4–5 pm and helps the children express their feelings about the persons who have died. The final group concludes with a picnic and gift making ceremony. During the hour in which the children are in group there is a corresponding support group for the parents or caregivers.
This “Little People” support group is a great opportunity for young children to be with other young children who have had a parent, sibling, grandparent or other family member die in a supportive environment conducive to the healing process.
These one-hour sessions may include the use of games, books, music, felt board stories, arts & crafts and free play to help the children express their feelings about the person who has died. Some of the topics discussed may include the difference between things that are alive and things that are dead, how the family has changed since the death, feelings, fears, funerals/memorial services, and memories. The final group concludes with a picnic and gift-making for all who participated.
During the hour in which the children are in group, there is also a support group available for the parent/caregiver. An orientation for this program is always scheduled the Tuesday before the group begins. We ask that you please call to RSVP.
Young Adults
This group is designed for adults between the ages of 18 and 24 years old who have experienced the death of a parent, friend, or a sibling or sometimes multiple deaths of family members.
Words from our Young Adult members
“When I walk through the front door, I am comfortable. Outside this place, people are scared of my experience. I feel as if I am clustered inside a box, and that my feelings are cluttered inside me.”
“When I come here, I don’t have to hide my feelings. This is a place of good listeners, a place where I can bring all of myself. Talking to someone is not a problem. There are other people who know what I am feeling. I feel like I am with family.”
“It is important to have a safe place to grieve. You need other people there with you; otherwise you feel isolated and lonely. I like that the setting here is comfortable. It isn’t an office. I can relax. The more comfortable you are, the more you open up and release your feelings.”
“I like that the Center has different rooms with different activities that take place inside these rooms. I like that you bring pictures of your family to leave here; it makes it feel like home. And, when you leave and go out into the world, you leave a piece of yourself here that is waiting for you when you return.”
For more information regarding our grief support groups please call (210) 736-4847.