Pediatrics
Pediatric Video Resource Library:
Pediatrics Local and Web Resources for Families
GEORGIA-SPECIFIC SUPPORT GROUPS:
Kate’s Club
- Bereavement support with monthly outings, age-based support groups, sibling support, art/music activities, and annual bereavement camp (Camp Good Mourning).
- Programming for kids, teens, young adults, parents & caregivers, schools, professionals.
- Serves the entire state of Georgia with clubhouses in Atlanta, Albany, Athens, Brunswick, Cobb County, and Newnan.
The Link Counseling Center
- Weekly support groups for children/teens grieving death of a loved one in the Sandy Springs/Cobb County area. Additional programs for individual counseling, psychotherapy, marriage/family therapy.
Hope for Grieving Children Georgia
- Peer support groups for children grieving the death of a loved one through creative, positive, play in a peer group setting for children 4-16. Each group lasts 90 minutes with 5-6 sessions in spring and fall.
H.E.A.R.T. Strings Perinatal Bereavement Support
- Support groups for families who have lost a baby due to miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, stillbirth, or infant death. Can email northsidepnl@gmail.com for more information.
- Groups include Rainbow PALS (pregnancy after loss) and Butterfly MOMS (missing our multiples). Servicing Atlanta, Cherokee, Forsyth and Gwinnett areas.
Rock Goodbye Angel
- Grief support groups for parents who have experienced pregnancy loss and early infant loss. Free grief support groups in-person in Gainesville, GA, in addition to virtual/zoom offerings.
Compassionate Friends
- Support group in Athens, Georgia to support families after the death of a child.
Focus (Families of Children Under Stress) Organization
- Georgia based organization to support families taking care of children with disabilities.
- Various programs including parent support, equipment support, summer camps, and bereavement groups.
GEORGIA-SPECIFIC CAMPS:
Camp Sunshine
- Atlanta area programs for children with cancer, including annual summer camps at Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge, GA. Includes sibling programs, teen programs, young adult programs, parent programs, and bereavement programs.
Camp Goud Mourning
- Through Kate’s Club, a free bereavement camp for children aged 5-18 who have experienced death of parent, sibling, or caregiver.
- Offered as a 3-day-weekend trip, twice a year (April and August), at Camp Twin Lakes in Winder, GA.
Camp Erin/MAGIK
- A free bereavement camp for children grieving death of a loved one.
- Offered as a weekend camp, 2x per year. Camps sessions divided into 2 groups (ages 7-11 & ages 12-17) in White, GA and Clarkesville, GA.
Camp STARS
- Weekend bereavement camp, held annually at Camp Twin lakes in Rutledge, GA. Hosted by Hospice Atlanta, $40 per family.
Camp Experience
- Free, one-week bereavement camp held in Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge, GA for children entering 4th - 12th grade, who have experienced death of a parent, sibling, or primary caregiver.
Camp Hope
- Free, weekend bereavement camp hosted by Hospice of South Georgia for children in grades 1-12th who are grieving loss of a loved one, held in Jekyll Island, GA.
Camp Braveheart
- Free, 5-day, summer day camp hosted by Hospice of NE Georgia Medical Center for children who have experienced death of a friend or family member, held at Walter’s Barn in Lula, GA.
Camp Good Grief
- Free, 3-day, day camp hosted by Hospice Care Options Foundation, for children aged 5-14 years, experiencing a significant loss (like bereavement, divorce, foster care, deployment, job loss or moving).
- Located in Central Georgia including Macon, Warner Robins, Milledgeville, Ocilla, and Eastman.
GRIEF/BEREAVEMENT RESOURCES:
The Compassionate Friends
- Organization with in-person and virtual meetings for supporting families after a child dies.
Miss Foundation
- Online resource to assess counseling services, education, research, and support services for those grieving the death of a child.
Dougy Center
- Grief support for kids, teens/YA, and parents. Including tip sheets, toolkits, podcasts.
- Toolkits for schools, communities, professionals to support children in grief as well.
Grief Share
- Input zip code for grief support in your area.
Bereavement Bibliography
- Curated list of books by Courage Parents Network.
Understanding Death, Grief, & Mourning: A Resource Manual
- 40-page resource manual from the Cleaveland Clinic on types of grief, talking with children, grief in the workplace, murder loss, suicide survivors' affirmation, and more.
PARENT RESOURCES FOR TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN WITH SERIOUS ILLNESS:
Courageous Parents Network
- Videos, podcasts, printable guides, Guided Pathways, and blogs from families and clinicians on taking care of children with serious illness.
The Conversation Project
- Conversation starter PDF guide for caregivers of a child with serious illness.
Coming soon!
COUNSELING RESOURCES:
ThriveWorks Counseling
- Mental Health Care company with list of counselors by state, covered by most insurance plans.
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Behavior & Mental Health Provider List
- Lists of behavior and mental health providers in Georgia, organized by county.
Community Service Board: Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities
- Another list of counseling and psychiatric support, organized by counties in Georgia.
DISEASE-SPECIFIC RESOURCES:
Trisomy 18
- Trisomy 18 Foundation
Resources of parents/families (information, parent narratives), providers (supporting families, helping with medical-decision-making), and researchers (research program) on Trisomy 18.
- SOFT (Support Organization for Trisomy)
Parent resources for expecting, parenting, remembering a child with Trisomy 18. Medical carebook about various conditions affecting children with Trisomy 18.
- The Chromosome 18 Registry and Research Society
Information and family testimonials on children with Trisomy 18 variations, including resources, events, and blogs.
Cancer-Related
- Camp Sunshine
Camps and programs for children with cancer including annual summer camps, sibling programs, teen programs, young adult programs, parent programs, and bereavement programs.
Pregnancy and Infant Loss
- The Finley Project
Long-term support for women who have experienced the death of a child between 20- weeks gestational age to 2 years old.
- Rock Goodbye Angel
Grief support groups for parents who have experienced pregnancy loss and early infant loss. Free grief support groups in-person in Gainseville, GA, in addition to virtual/zoom offerings.
- SHARE Pregnancy and Infant Loss
National organization with resources and online support groups for pregnancy and infant loss.
BOOKS AND LITERATURE:
Book for Young Children (Storybooks)
- The Invisible String by Patrice Karst (ages 3 and up)
This book offers a gentle approach to help overcome the fear of loneliness or separation. It is a creative book that children can easily identify with and remember.
- The Memory Box by Joanna Rowland
A Book about Grief. Describes what it is like to remember and grieve a loved one who has died.
- The Next Place by Warren Hanson (ages 4 and up)
This is a story of the next place, a place of light and hope where earthly hurt is left behind. It is a celebration of life. This story presents death in a non-secular/religious way.
- When Dinosaurs Die: A Guide to Understanding Death by Laurie Kransy Brown and Marc Brown (ages 4 to 10)
This is a guide to help children understand what death means and how to cope with feelings.
- Lifetimesby Bryan Mellonie (ages 5 to 10)
This is a story about life and death. It uses nature, animals and people. It talks about beginnings, endings, and living in between.
- The Fall of Freddie the Leaf by Leo Buscaglia (ages 5 to 9)
This is a story about a leaf named Freddie. It describes the seasons of life and death through nature.
- Sad Isn’t Bad by Michaelene Mundy and R.W. Alley (ages 3 to 10)
A good-grief guidebook for kids dealing with loss.
- The Gifts of Gerbert’s Feathers by Meaghann Weaver & Lori Weiner (ages 4 to 8)
A story about strength, courage, determination, and love. Used to help children dealing with an illness or those who are worried about others with a serious illness.
Books for Teens
- Healing Your Grieving Heart for Teens by Alan Wolfelt (ages 12 to 18)
100 practical ideas that can help survivors learn to express their grief and mourn naturally.
- Fire in My Heart, Ice in My Veins by Enid Traisman (ages 12 to 18)
A guided grief journal for teens and young adults, options to write letters, copy down meaningful lyrics, write songs and poems, tell the person who died what they want them to know, and use their creativity to work through the grieving process.
Activity Books
- How I Feel: A Coloring Book for Grieving Children by Alan D. Wolfelt, Ph.D. (ages 3 to 8)
This is a coloring book that shows the many feelings grieving children may have.
- When Someone Very Special Dies by Marge Heegaard (ages 3 to 10)
A practical format for allowing children to understand the concept of death and develop coping skills for life.
- Help Me Say Goodbye: Activities for Helping Kids Cope When a Special Person Dies by Janis Silverman (Ages 4 to 12)
An art therapy book. It encourages children to express their feelings in words or pictures. Topics include what to say or do, feelings, how to remember your loved one.
- How I Feel: Grief Journal for Kids by Mia Roldan (ages 8 to 12)
Guided prompts to explore your feelings and find peace for children.
- When Someone has a Very Serious Illness by Marge Heegaard (ages 9 to 12)
An resource for helping children learn the basic concepts of illness and various age-appropriate ways of coping with it.
Books for Grieving Parents
- Bearing the Unbearable by Joanne Cacciatore
Book by Zen priest and Ph.D bereavement educator on the process of grief and how grief can open hearts to connection, compassion, and shared humanity.
- Comfort for the Grieving Parent’s Heart: Hope and Healing After Losing Your Child by Gary Roe
Book by hopsice chaplain and grief specialist on helping one process grief, written in easy-to-read, bite-sized, short chapters.
- Shattered: Surviving the Loss of a Child by Gary Roe
Book by hospice chaplain and grief specialist on how a child’s death impacts one emotionally, mentally, physically, relationally, and spiritually.
- Shelter from the Storm: Caring for a Child with a Life Threatening Condition by Joanne Hiblen, Karen Lindsey and Daniel Tobin
A compassionate roadmap to what families may face when caring for a critically ill child.
- When the Bough Breaks: Forever After the Death of a Son or Daughter by Judith Bernstein, PhD
Excerpts from 50 parents who have lost a children from 5-45 years old.
- A Different Dream for my Child by Jolene Philo
Story from a mother as her son was hospitalized multiple times for a life-threatening birth defect.
- Safe Passage: Words to Help the Grieving Hold Fast and Let Go by Molly Fumia
This is a book of meditations on grieving.
- The Worst Loss: How Families Heal from the Death of a Child by Barbara D. Rosof
This is a book on parental bereavement to help families know what they are facing, understand what they are feeling, and appreciate their own needs and timetables.
- Pigtails & Steel by Andy McCall
A book by fathers for fathers who have lost a child, specifically about a father losing his little girl from cancer.
Web Resources for Pediatric Palliative Providers
Pediatric Palliative Care Learning Resources:
International Children’s Palliative Care Network (ICPCN)
- Global organization with advocacy resources and e-learning about various topics within pediatric palliative care.
Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association
- Certificate courses and educational resources for nurses focused on end-of-life care, palliative care, and hospice care.
Palliative Care for Children South Africa
- Educational resources, advocacy, organizational support, and networking to further palliative care for children in South Africa.
PatchSA Book List for Providers within Pediatric Palliative care
- A list of textbooks and guides for pediatric palliative care providers.
AWHONN Perinatal Bereavement Certificate Program
- Educational resources with specific perinatal palliative care focus, including a perinatal bereavement certificate program.
Zen Caregiving Project
- Teaches caregivers skills rooted in mindfulness and compassion.
RESOURCES FOR TAKING CARE OF CHILDREN WITH SERIOUS ILLNESS:
Courageous Parents Network
- Videos, podcasts, printable guides, Guided Pathways, and blogs from families and clinicians on taking care of children with serious illness.
The Conversation Project
- A PDF guide for caregivers of a child with serious illness on how to start talking with a child who is living with a serious illness about the health care that is right for them.
GHPCO does not recommend or endorse any particular products, services, content, or use of any third-party websites. GHPCO has not reviewed all the sites and does not make any representations regarding their content or accuracy. GHPCO is not responsible for the content of any of the below referenced sites or any sites linked to these sites. Use of the links provided on this, or other sites is at your sole risk. Updated February 2024.