A grieving child is heartbreaking, and when the adults in that child’s life are grieving as well, knowing what to do or say can be an overwhelming task. HPC has taken measures to ensure that the children of our community will be given the best grief support possible by employing three essential tools:

1. Counseling Care: Our ADEC-certified grief counselor stands ready to offer individualized support for children grieving a loss or drastic change in their life.
2. Camp Erin: This free, 3 day, 2 night grief-support camp focuses on helping children (ages 6-17) who have experienced the death of a loved one.
3. Tucker- Grief Therapy Dog: Tucker is a mini mountain golden doodle that spends time at the Heartford House to provide comfort to our patients and families.
4. The Caring Bears: They are cuddly, adorable, and ready to bring smiles to the faces of children dealing with the impending loss of a loved one. The Caring Bear Program was created specifically to help children with grief.
5. The Caring Bears Billy’s Story: To help patients and caregivers, HPC is creating a series of books for children aged 4 to 9 that parallel stories of loss, like that of a grandparent, parent, or sibling.