Grief and Child Life Services
Compassionate, Personalized Services, Nurtured in Relationship
At Ordinary Hope, we believe families deserve to grow and thrive in the midst of life's hurts. We believe it is still possible to find hope in the ordinary when hope is lost or far from reach. At Ordinary Hope, we will empower resilience by holding onto hope for you until you can hold it again for yourself.
We are dedicated to honoring each child and family member for who they are at this moment.
SERVICES
Grief Support
Grief is very personal and needs the type of nurturing that supports a safe space for expression or quiet presence. Grief is not something to solve, rather something to honor and tenderly support in compassion as it shifts, changes and evolves over time.
Individuals/Families
Acute & Chronic Illness/New Diagnosis
Loss/End of Life
Gentle Hearts Grief Groups
SERVICES
Acute/Chronic Illness
Play is a child's most authentic, automatic and comforting way to communicate. In play, children work out what they are feeling when they lack the words to articulate themselves. Dramatic play, medical play, therapeutic play, and expressive play are outlets that support coping. During chronic and acute illness, play prepares children for frightening medical procedures, lessens traumatic experiences and empowers agency. When children receive scaffolding, and gentle guidance to become familiar with medical equipment, they build confidence. During open ended play with medical tools, children gain control and mastery over their experiences.
Coping/Processing
Emotions
Diagnosis Education & Difficult Conversations
Play: Expressive, Therapeutic & Medical
Scaffolding/Mastery
SERVICES
Parent/Caregiver/Sibling Support & Education
Parents and siblings need opportunities for education, coping and grief support. When one person faces a serious illness, the emotional impact affects the whole family system. Everyone may experience fear, grief, guilt and isolation. Through education and emotional support, parents are empowered to have difficult and honest conversations, increase self empathy and care, and improve coping through the highs and lows. Siblings gain resilience and show increased coping when included in what is happening during a family illness. When siblings are given validation for their own feelings and provided with opportunities to identify their role and strengths in the family, they feel less isolated cope better.
Education
Difficult Conversations
Coping/Processing
Identifying Strengths and Roles
SERVICES
End of Life Support
End of life support is much more than support at the end of an illness. Families experiencing a life-limiting illness, can benefit from support that strengthens them even years before the end of their journey with the illness. Adding a layer of compassionate, nurturing coping support for children, parents and caregivers provides opportunities for meaningful conversations, discussion of fears and feelings, and processing anticipatory grief. When children are supported in asking questions, misconceptions are cleared up, and emotional safety increases coping. Children and adolescents have different developmental and coping needs. Parents often benefit from support in finding the words to have difficult conversations that encourage honest family communication. Family legacy making also connects families and adds opportunities for playfulness amidst grief.
Illness/Loss/Death Difficult Conversations
Legacy & Memory Making
Coping/Processing
Celebration of Life Support
What to Expect
01
Initial Consultation
and Assessment
The initial 30-minute free phone consultation is the first step in reaching out to share unique child and family needs. This allows for a dedicated conversation to determine if we are the correct fit for your needs. The consultation and assessment identifies unique family strengths and challenges to determine goals.
02
Individualized Support
Once a family is ready to move forward with support services, we provide a link to create a private, HIPPA-compliant client portal. Intake, consent and payment authorization forms will be sent through the Simple Practice portal.
Payments are processed after each scheduled meeting through the Simple Practice portal using Stripe, a secure, HIPPA-compliant, integrated, and encrypted payment processing system.
Ongoing assessment and collaboration with parents/caregivers will determine the specific goals for any future visits. Grief will be held gently and coping needs will be addressed to promote resilience.
03
Compassionate Care
Empowering children and families to lean into family strengths is our compassionate mission to foster resilience, and nurture the family as a whole. Through developmentally tailored care, cultural humility, and a family-centered approach, we promote opportunities for families to grow forward with dignity and respect.