We offer many resources to help patients and families cope with loss, including support groups for anyone in our community who is suffering through grief and bereavement issues. -Grief Booklet Guide to Grief and Bereavement

We promise to walk with you through your grief.

We offer a number of services to those who are grieving the loss of a loved one. Let us know how we can help as you make this transition to a new life.

Family and friends are invited to participate in counselor-led support groups offered every week. Some participants come simply to listen; others feel comfortable sharing thoughts and feelings. Trained Avow Hospice bereavement counselors can reassure participants about what are "normal" reactions to loss and guide those who need it to additional resources in the community.

We also have on staff experts in children's bereavement who can work with children and their parents to understand the special effects of grief and bereavement on the young.

We can offer brief private counseling to those who need an extra helping hand in coping with their loss. Our counselors assist families in crisis and help identify resources in the community for longer-term, one-on-one assistance.

Coping with the special stresses and expectations of the holidays can complicate bereavement. We hold special seminars that offer specific coping strategies and a place to discuss fears, disappointments and concerns.

At Avow Hospice, we understand that children have unique reactions to grief and loss. They need guidance to navigate their complex feelings and to understand loss in the larger contexts of their lives and family relationships. As young persons with limited life experiences, our children need special tools to cope with grief. It is our mission to provide them.

Our services, designed for children ages 5-18, provide support and companionship to children who are grieving the loss of a parent, sibling, friend or relative through illness, accident, suicide or homicide. With the help of trained counselors, bereaved children are given an opportunity to move through their unique experience of loss in a safe, nonjudgmental environment. All services are offered free of charge.

We provide:

• Children’s grief workshops held in Collier County schools (public and private) during the school day for children of similar ages and similar losses. Workshop activities include art projects, videos, storybook discussions and the sharing of photos and memories as a way to express emotions and concerns in a safe, nonjudgmental environment.
• School assistance during times of crisis (for example, the death of a student or teacher).
• Defusing sessions with children exposed to a traumatic event.
• Consultations with parents to help them support their child in age-appropriate ways.
• Individual support for children anticipating a loss through illness and death, or when a group is not currently available for a bereaved child.
• Community education on children's grief issues.

Who we serve:

• Any youth, aged 5-18, who is grieving the loss of a loved one.
• Children who are facing the anticipated loss of a significant other as a result of illness
  or death.
• Children who have been exposed to a traumatic event which resulted in death or
  severe harm to another.
• School personnel who want assistance with crisis intervention when there
  has been a death of a student or faculty member.
• Parents of bereaved children.