Bereavement Support Providers

From Darcie D. Sims, PhD, CHT, CT, GMS: 

"Sometimes the hardest thing to do when you are trying to provide care for someone is to remain objective without being distant.  When you are constantly listening to the pain of others, it is difficult not to begin to absorb some of that pain.  Yet, sometimes, we do feel the burden of our client's story, especially when that client is a child grieving the death of a loved one.

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when caring for the bereaved is to constantly ask yourself, "What am I trying to do?"  Do you want to help someone feel better?  Or do you want to help someone be better at feeling?

As bereavement care providers, we are not in the business of fixing broken toys.  Our clients are not broken.  They are hurt, sometimes terribly so.  But they are not as broken puzzle pieces, waiting to be reassembled into what they used to be.  Perhaps the best gift you can give a grieving client is the knowledge of what is happening in the grief process, skills and tools to cope with the emotions of grief and to make appropriate referrals to those who can provide additional education, information and support.

We need to remember that we do not have to "do this" alone.  An appropriate referral is often the best gift we can give.  We need to help the bereaved make the connections they need in order to find the path towards healing. We must be responsible in our ability to respond to our clients' needs.  We must be able to know when we can respond and when we cannot.  To be RESPONSE  ABLE is a powerful tool for ourselves.

Please remember that, as bereavement care providers, we can hold someone's pain, but we cannot carry it.  Each person must learn to carry the pain he experiences.  Our job is to provide information, education and support so each person can find his own healing way.

We appreciate your referral to Mommy's Light as a gift you can give to a child grieving a mother's death.  Your referral is a gift of hope in a world gone dark with despair.

Become familiar with child/teen bereavement support in your area and on line.  Refer your patients and their families to these resources, including Mommy's Light's free Tradition Fulfillment_sm Services and Bereavement Education Materials.  To request copies of Mommy's Light's bereavement education materials, including our DVD "When a Mother Dies...Breaking Down the Walls of Silence," and our Warning Signs Brochure, click Request Information Form.


Click here for a list of on-line resources and bereavement support services for Delaware Valley.  Note that The Dougy Center web site, http://www.grievingchild.org/, lists child/teen bereavement support centers across the United States.

For a list of book/DVD resources, see Resources. 

Thank you!"