San Diego County Center Helps Children to Grieve

The Children’s Bereavement Center in Escondido Offers Peer Support and Family Programs

Help is Available for San Diego County Families and Children Who Are Experiencing Grief

Grieving is a normal response to a significant loss and is experienced differently by each individual. Some people will manage the process through individual support from family, friends, and community. For others, grief counseling can be a powerful tool to help them navigate the grieving process.

It is a medical fact is that grief actually changes a body’s chemistry, and grieving children are considered to be one of the most vulnerable populations.  Health issues can arise when debilitating grief is not treated. The Children’s Bereavement Center offers Escondido families valuable resources to help their child deal with grief. The Center’s resources include a “Volcano Room” where the walls and floors and everything contained within it are padded. In the Volcano Room, children can constructively act out anger, sadness and wanting.  It is a place where children are allowed to hit soft things and allowed to have big emotions.”

“Melissa Lunardini, MA, children’s bereavement manager at the Children’s Bereavement Center, says there is no time limit to obtaining treatment for a loss. “You could have been 3-years-old when it happened, and it could be ten years later,” she says. “If you take care of a child’s issues early on we are shaping who they are as adults. That is a huge win for our field.”

Children who don’t get treatment often carry the weight of their grief into adulthood, where it can cause suicidal behavior, drug abuse, dropping out of school, promiscuity and harm the ability to form relationships.”

The Center is funded entirely by grants and donations, and is also supported by a 50-60 wonderful volunteers. The Escondido Children’s Bereavement Center is located at 930 Canterbury Place (across the Street from Mercedes Benz of Escondido.)  There is also a Center located in Mission Valley.

To learn more, call 800-797-2050 or visit online at www.elizabethhospice.org

BrightStar Care of Rancho Bernardo / San Marcos provides home care support to families and children  Learn more about our Home Health Care Services and Pediatric Care - CLICK HERE.

 

To read more about the Children’s Bereavement Center in Escondido, please visit https://www.times-advocate.com/articles/center-helps-children-grieve-for-lost-loved-ones/.