Children & Teen Grief Support FAQs

OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center offers three services for children and teens:

• The Family Support Program is offered in our West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills centers. Children ages 4.5 through 17 , who have experienced the death of someone close in the last two years , are placed in grief support groups with others their age while adults participate in a simultaneous parent/guardian session. This 12-week curriculum-based program provides services for the entire family, including pizza dinner before the sessions begin. 
• Free ten-week grief support groups meet at public elementary, middle, and high school campuses throughout Greater Los Angeles during the school day for children who have experienced the death of a family member or close friend in the last three years.
• Camp Erin Los Angeles is a free overnight bereavement camp weekends that take place two times each summer for children, ages 6-17, who are grieving the death of someone close in the last three years.
  

• Children and teens can join the Family Support Program within two years following the death of a parent, sibling or someone close to them. We recommend children wait three months following the death to start our program, but families are welcome to call sooner than three months to learn more about our process.
• School-based groups are offered to children approximately two months to three years after the death of a family member or close friend.
• Camp Erin is offered to children and teens who have experienced the death of a significant family member or close friend. The death must have occurred at least three months before and within three years of the start date of the camp session they wish to attend.
  

• The Family Support Program meets on Thursday evenings, every other week, located in both our West Los Angeles and Woodland Hills centers.
• School-based groups meet at public schools in LA County during the school day. Click here to see a current list of participating schools. This list may vary annually.
• Camp Erin Los Angeles is located at Camp Bob Waldorf in Glendale, CA. 
  

As we continue to align our protocols with LA County public health guidelines, effective July 1, 2023, staff, volunteers, program participants, and visitors entering OUR HOUSE spaces will no longer be required to provide proof of vaccination status. Once indoors, individuals may elect to wear a mask if desired. To keep the OUR HOUSE community safe, all individuals are advised to stay home, rest, and recuperate if experiencing symptoms of illness. In all offices, OUR HOUSE staff will ensure that current LA County-recommended COVID sanitation protocols are followed. This policy is subject to change in accordance with LA County public health guidelines.

• The emotional content of each group meeting may take time to process. 
• Families who are grieving often have busy schedules, so a weekly group is difficult to manage. Since many children who are grieving live in single-parent families, it can be hard to get transportation to group. Meeting every other week is easier on the family.
  

We wait three months after the death before meeting with families to assess whether a child’s needs can be met in a grief support group. It takes varying lengths of time for children to understand and integrate a death based on their age, developmental level, and life experience. Many children need more than three months before they are ready to begin a group. Part of participation in a grief support group includes offering support to others as well as receiving support. It can take time following a death to be ready to support others.

The Family Support Program includes a group for parents/guardians. If you are unable to attend the parent/guardian during your child’s time in their group, please let us know and we will discuss alternative options.

OUR HOUSE grief support groups are co-led by highly trained and supervised volunteer group leaders. We utilize a non-disclosure model for our group leaders, meaning that they do not share their grief history or other personal information with group members.

As a non-profit agency, our services are offered on a sliding scale. The suggested fee for the Pre-Group Appointment is $65, and the suggested fee for each group meeting is $35; we can slide down to $1 for each service. Payment can be made by cash, check, or credit card. Private health insurance plans, Medicare, and Medi-Cal do not cover our services.

OUR HOUSE support groups are small, closed groups which rely on all members attending on a regular basis.

• When someone makes the commitment to join a group, we request that they are present for all sessions to both give and receive support.
• We understand that from time to time a group member will need to miss a group meeting; we ask that they or a caregiver let OUR HOUSE know of their upcoming absence in advance.
• Group participants agree to refrain from using alcohol and recreational drugs prior to attending group meetings.
• Group leaders respect the confidentiality of the children in their group with three exceptions: danger to self, danger to others, and child abuse or neglect. Parent/Guardians are informed that when these exceptions to confidentiality occur steps must be taken to ensure the safety of the child.
  

1. Complete this Services Inquiry Form and a clinician will call you within two business days. You may also call OUR HOUSE from 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday at (310) 473-1511 or toll free (888) 417-1444 to speak directly with a clinician.
2. The clinician will be able to answer questions about our services and schedule a Pre-Group Appointment (PGA).
3. After the PGA, if it is determined that a group is the right fit, the potential group member will be offered a spot in the next available group. Wait time varies based upon the number of people within the same age range ready to join a group at any given time or the expected end date of other children in an existing group.
   

This appointment offers the OUR HOUSE Clinical team an opportunity to assess whether the child is emotionally ready to participate in a support group and to prepare the child to share their story with the other members of the group. In addition, it will be determined whether the child can tolerate hearing and supporting other children who are talking about the deaths that they have experienced.

Please see our What to Say, What to Do? information page.
For additional support materials, please review our library of Grief Pages.